3 Reasons Linus Ullmark Can Carry the Sens to the Playoffs
If you’ve followed the Ottawa Senators through the first quarter of this 2025–26 season, you’ve probably felt that familiar thump of expectation colliding with reality. For all the talk of growth and maturity, the real drama has been unfolding in the blue paint. Linus Ullmark arrived as the supposed answer. He was a former Vezina winner who’d steady the ship and finally give Ottawa the backbone it’s lacked.
But early December paints a different picture. His numbers have been rough, his confidence shaky, and the questions louder than anyone hoped. Still, before we declare the whole experiment a lost cause, it’s worth stepping back and looking at what’s actually going on and why Ullmark might still be the reason this team makes a serious playoff push.
Reason 1. He Has a Second Gear that Kicks in Mid-Season
Here’s the thing about Ullmark. Slow starts are part of his annual routine. Last season, he staggered out of the gate too, only to flip the switch in late November and go on an 8-0-1 heater. During that run, he put up a .954 save percentage and the kind of goals-against numbers you’d expect from a video game on beginner mode. That stretch dragged Ottawa into playoff contention.
And we’re already seeing a familiar flicker. He’s put up four wins in his last five games. More composure. More clean saves. That 5–2 win over Montreal didn’t rewrite the season, but it showed something simple. His talent didn’t go. It was only sleeping.
Reason 2. The Team in Front of Him Is So Much Better Now
This is the part people forget when they see a soft one slide in: Ottawa’s defensive numbers are quietly among the league’s best. Top-10 in limiting chances. A structure that holds more often than it breaks. For once, the system in front of Ullmark is doing its job.
All they need is league-average goaltending. Not Superman, and not the goalie who won the Vezina while with the Boston Bruins. Just a steady hand — and Ullmark is more than capable of being exactly that.
Reason 3. Ullmark Is His Own Worst Critic: He’s Willing to Own His Mistakes
This might be the biggest reason for optimism. Ullmark doesn’t dodge the criticism. He admitted his offseason prep wasn’t where it needed to be. He even talked about fixing it next summer. That kind of honesty isn’t common, and it tells you something: he’s not lost. He’s just recalibrating.
The Senators don’t need perfection. They need a consistent goalie. The heater could be coming soon. His structure is solid, and the engine under the hood can still hum. If Ullmark finds his rhythm — and the early signs say he is — he’s good enough to drag Ottawa back into the playoff fight, just as he did a season ago.
Final Thought About Ullmark and the Senators
For all the noise around him right now, Ullmark’s story in Ottawa isn’t finished. His tools are still there, the team in front of him is better than it’s been in years, and the early signs of a turnaround are already showing. If he settles in the way he usually does, the Senators won’t just be hanging around the race — they’ll be right in the middle of it. And, Ullmark will be one of the reasons.