Some hockey analytics websites are bullish on the Senators inching closer towards Stanley Cup contender status

While the Ottawa Senators will have to wait five more days to join the party, we now know what the oddsmakers think of their Stanley Cup playoffs chances on the eve of another National Hockey League season.

Reviewing four different sports betting companies and hockey analytics websites, two of them have the Senators making the post-season and two have them narrowly missing out. Though, some sites are predicting Ottawa will take another small step towards contender status.

Here’s what we found.

On MoneyPuck.com, the Sens have the third-best playoff odds in the Atlantic Division at 62.4 per cent, only behind the two Sunshine State teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning (75 per cent) and Florida Panthers (67.4 per cent).

The site has Ottawa’s chances to win the Stanley Cup at 4.1 per cent, ninth-best across the league.

2025-26 odds: 66.9 per cent to make playoffs; 3.6 per cent to win Cup

Patrick Bacon’s HockeyStats.com is slightly bearish on the Sens’ outlook. Their simulation model has Ottawa finishing with 94 points, a single point behind the New York Rangers for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

HockeyStats gives the Senators a 43 per cent chance at making the post-season, and a one per cent shot to win the whole damn thing.

Notably, the website has five Metropolitan Division teams securing a post-season berth, whereas last season it was the Atlantic that earned both wild cards.

2025-26 prediction: 95 points, fifth in Eastern Conference

Sports gambling company DraftKings has the Sens as a slight underdog to make the playoffs with a line of +105, the ninth-best odds in the East, just behind the Toronto Maple Leafs (-120) and Buffalo Sabres (-125).

DraftKings has the Senators +1000 to win the Atlantic — the Panthers are the favourites at +160. Ottawa is +3500 to win the Cup, tied with the Leafs and San Jose Sharks.

2025-26 line: +3000 to win Cup

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Sens at -106 to make the post-season, very slim favourites over Toronto (+100), the Philadelphia Flyers (+114) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (+138). The company has the New Jersey Devils rebounding big time, -142 to make the post-season after finishing 12 points out in the spring, while the line shows the Boston Bruins could be prime for a setback at +250.

FanDuel is more confident than DraftKings in the Sens’ championship aspirations, placing them at +3000 to win the Cup, tied with the Sabres.

2025-26 line: Unknown

Naysayers will point to the departure of Brady Tkachuk and the lack of star power up front — we’re not talking about you, Tim Stutzle — but the Senators were eighth in goals for last year, and that was largely while their former captain was either injured or not playing to his full potential.

Life after Tkachuk won’t likely be the whiplash some outsiders have predicted.

Across an 84-game season, consistency is paramount, and the Senators’ arguably elite blue line should help the team remain steady. There are injuries to mend within the five days leading up to the season opener in Toronto on the weekend — Jake Sanderson did not practise Monday; Artem Zub won’t be ready in time for Saturday — but when the defence corps is healthy, it performs extremely well within coach Travis Green’s system. Plus, if you’re concerned about this team producing offence, puck movers like Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Jordan Spence and Carter Yakemchuk could very well pick up some slack.

A happy and healthy Linus Ullmark will also provide stability. The 33-year-old, whose playful antics following a shootout loss in practice on Monday even got a chuckle out of his steely head coach, is poised for his first career 50-start campaign.

There were encouraging signs in the latter half of last season.

After returning from his leave of absence for mental health reasons on Jan. 31, Ullmark finished the 2025-26 regular season going 14-4-3 with a .904 save percentage. And despite the subsequent first-round sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, he had a .932 save percentage in the playoffs.

Here’s who the aforementioned sites have given the best odds to win the Cup:

• MoneyPuck — Colorado Avalanche, 9.6 per cent
• HockeyStats — Dallas Stars, 12 per cent; Hurricanes, 12 per cent
• DraftKings — Panthers, +650; Hurricanes, +650
• FanDuel — Panthers, +650