After eight long years, the Ottawa Senators are back in the NHL playoffs with plenty of new faces since their previous appearance.

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The previous time we saw the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs, they were fighting back tears after losing a double-overtime heartbreaker to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the PPG Paints Arena.

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An emotional playoff run came to a sudden end in Game 7 of the Eastern final on May 26, 2017, when Chris Kunitz beat Craig Anderson with a knuckle puck to end the Senators’ Cinderella run.

Ottawa had to battle the odds all season.

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They lost winger Clarke MacArthur for most of the season to a concussion while Anderson took a two-month personal leave to be with his wife, Nicholle, while she was treated for a rare form of cancer. Through it all, the Senators always found a way to persevere.

As the Senators and their faithful prepared for next season, it came with the promise that the club would be competitive. Little did we know it would take Ottawa eight years to return to the post-season to end what was the third-longest playoff drought amongst active NHL teams.

The road back to the playoffs hasn’t been easy for the Senators, but with four games left in the year, they can rest easy knowing they’ll be back this spring.

There have been hurdles along the way, which included hirings and firings, saying goodbye to star players, the death of owner Eugene Melnyk and the sale of the club to billionaire Michael Andlauer and his group — after a lengthy and entertaining sale process — in September 2023.

Through it all, Ottawa’s hockey fans have hung on to hope of better days ahead and, finally, they’ve arrived with playoff games at the Canadian Tire Centre this spring.

Getting here wasn’t easy and required a painful rebuild that left many wondering if this would ever happen again. Slowly, the pieces were put in place by general manager Pierre Dorion before he was let go and replaced by Steve Staios in November 2023.

So how did we get here? This is a snapshot of some of the highlights and lowlights of this rebuild that began in 2018, including a roster that has gone through a complete overhaul.

THE BEGINNING

On March 1, 2018, Melnyk wrote a letter to fans to declare it was time to tear the franchise down and start again.

“This has been a disappointing season for our team. Our place in the standings speaks for itself. Trust me, no one is more aware of this — and more frustrated by it — than I am,” Melnyk wrote.

“But one challenging year does not define our team. And, if anything, the commitment to re-establish our great franchise and reclaim our place atop the NHL standings should unite all Senators fans, partners and season-seat members. Now is the time for us to focus on the future, rather than dwelling on a difficult season.”

Armed with a contract extension, Dorion rolled up his sleeves and started a teardown that saw players come and mostly go.

The rebuild started not long after the club acquired Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche.

Observers watched as Mark Stone, Dion Phaneuf and Erik Karlsson packed their bags. But those departures were softened by acquiring high-end young talent to help lead the Senators to the Promised Land.

The Senators are supposed to be at the stage of this rebuild where fans are enjoying former owner Melnyk’s promised “five-year run of unparalleled success.”

Unfortunately, that hasn’t materialized and that’s why this trip to the playoffs is a massive step in the right direction.

THE DEPARTURES

The rebuild started with Phaneuf being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings at the March 2018 trade deadline.

D Erik Karlsson

On Sept. 13, 2018, just as training camp was about to get underway, the other shoe dropped.

Karlsson and minor-league forward Francis Perron were traded to the San Jose Sharks.

In return, the Senators received a first-round pick in 2019 or 2020, centre Chris Tierney, a second-round pick in 2019, prospect centre Josh Norris, prospect Rudolfs Balcers and defenceman Dylan DeMelo.

That trade turned out to be the gift that kept on giving.

The Senators opted to use the 2020 first-round pick and took centre Tim Stutzle at No. 3 overall in the lottery. Norris developed into a top pivot for this team when he was healthy.

Tierney and DeMelo were both effective players.

F Mark Stone

Unable to get an extension in place because the Senators wouldn’t give Stone a ‘No Move’ clause in the final three years of the deal, the club opted to move on.

On March 8, 2019, only 15 minutes before the deadline, he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights along with Tobias Lindberg in exchange for prospect defenceman Erik Brannstrom, Oscar Lindberg and a 2020 second-round pick.

That was a tough one for fans of the Senators to swallow.

G Craig Anderson

At the end of the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 campaign, the Senators decided to let Anderson go to unrestricted free agency.

Anderson spent a decade in the club’s net and he’s the winningest goalie in franchise history. He posted a 202-168-46 record with the Senators and leads the club in games played with 435 in his career in Ottawa.

Until they acquired Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins last spring, the Senators had spent a lot of time and effort looking for a replacement.

Winger Bobby Ryan, acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on July 5, 2013, only hours after former captain Daniel Alfredsson left for the Detroit Red Wings, was bought out in September 2020.

Winger Mike Hoffman was traded to the San Jose Sharks in June 2018 for forward Mikkel Boedker, then traded to the Florida Panthers. That came after Karlsson’s wife got a restraining order against Hoffman’s partner.

THE BUILDING BLOCKS

D Thomas Chabot: This is the 28-year-old Chabot’s first trip to the playoffs after more than 500 games with the Senators. Selected No. 18 overall in 2015, the club’s alternate captain has been waiting for the opportunity to suit up for meaningful games and this step will mean a lot.

LW Brady Tkachuk: Can you believe there was a debate when the Senators took him at No. 4 in 2018? The club’s captain is the straw that stirs the drink; he has completed his fourth straight year with more than 30 goals and has played a key role in this rebuild.

C Tim Stutzle: As noted, the Senators used the pick they received in the Karlsson deal to select Stutzle at No. 3 in 2020. He’s one of the most skilled forwards this club has ever had and has posted 50-plus assists for two straight years. He has three years left with a cap hit of $8.35 million US.

RW Drake Batherson: The 26-year-old winger was selected No. 121 overall in 2017 — a job well done by the scouting staff. He’s a smart player, good at both ends of the ice, but needs to have a bit more consistency. He has two years left at $4.975 million, so playoff success is key.

D Jake Sanderson: He has emerged as the club’s top defenceman and was selected No. 5 overall in 2020. Sanderson was struggling early in the year, but turned around his game after being passed up to play for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Was later added as an injury replacement.

C Shane Pinto: A second-round pick in 2019, you get the sense that Pinto’s role will only grow on this team. He’s a smart player, can kill penalties and chip in offensively. He can play up and down the lineup, which gives the club options on nights offence is hard to find.

F Ridly Greig: The 22-year-old No. 28 overall pick in 2020 has served notice he’s an NHL player by adjusting nicely at this level. He will only get better with age and he’s a pain to play against. He won’t be an offensive star, but he can play at both ends of the ice. Just a smart player.

D Tyler Kleven: He should have been added to this list a long time ago, but he’s established himself this season. Another product of the successful 2020 NHL draft at No. 44 overall, he’s in the third pairing, but it won’t be long before he’s playing the top four. That’s a given.

THE GOALIES

The Senators have used 13 goaltenders since the organization opted to walk away from Anderson.

Linus Ullmark has provided the elite netminding that Dorion could never find after trying several different options. Ullmark has been through this before and knows what it takes to win.

He missed six weeks with a back injury, but has come back strong and has carried the ball down the stretch. Ullmark has made the necessary stops and knows what it takes to win after his stay with the Boston Bruins.

Backup Anton Forsberg is the only consistent face the Senators have had in the net since the club picked him on waivers during the 2020-21 campaign and is in his fifth season with the club.

The club acquired Stanley Cup champion goalie Matt Murray from the Pittsburgh Penguins in Oct. 2020 and immediately signed him to a four-year, $25-million deal.

He couldn’t stay healthy and only played 47 games before being sent to the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2022.

Veteran Cam Talbot was acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Filip Gustavsson in July 2022. Talbot struggled to stay healthy, couldn’t get the job done and wasn’t brought back the next season.

In July 2023, Dorion signed unrestricted free agent goalie Joonas Korpisalo to a four-year, $20 million deal. He had a 21-26-5 record in 2023-24 and was sent to the Bruins as part of the package to get Ullmark.

Gustavsson, by the way, is now the top goalie for the Wild and Joey Daccord, picked up by Seattle in the expansion draft, is No. 1 for the Kraken.

THE COACHES

Guy Boucher (2016-19): He took the club to the East final, but couldn’t get that success back. Let go with 18 games left in the 2018-19 campaign, Boucher wasn’t the right person for a rebuild. He was let go late in 2019 and Marc Crawford had a brief interim stay behind the bench.

D.J. Smith (2019-23): He coached 317 games behind the Ottawa bench and did what was asked of him by helping the young players develop. He took a lot of hits in the process. Smith’s best attribute: He never had a bad day and the players appreciated him.

Travis Green (2024-?): In his first year behind the bench and his second stint as the club’s head coach, Green deserves credit for getting this team to play at both ends of the ice. He has done a good job of getting these players to forget the past.

YEAR-BY-YEAR RECORD

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