Ottawa Senators

Tim Stützle Has a New Challenge in Ottawa — And It’s Not Goals

Brady Tkachuk is gone, and the Senators need Tim Stützle to become more than a star. Could this be his next big step?

by
Old Prof
August 22, 2026

There’s something pretty interesting happening in Ottawa this summer, and it has very little to do with how many goals Tim Stützle scores. He’s already one of the Senators’ best players, putting up 34 goals and 83 points in 80 games last season. So nobody’s sitting around wondering if the guy can produce. That part’s been settled for a while now.

What’s different this time is that Brady Tkachuk is gone. And all of a sudden, Stützle might be looking at a much bigger role than anyone expected. Tkachuk wasn’t just another guy in that room. He was the captain, one of the emotional leaders, and the face of what Ottawa was trying to build into. Losing him changes the whole picture.

Stützle was upfront that the trade surprised him, which makes sense. But there’s also a real sense that he’s looking forward to whatever’s next, not dreading it. And that’s exactly where this season gets interesting.

Ottawa Didn’t Throw Everything Away When Tkachuk Left

Stützle’s 24 now — he’s not the kid who first showed up in Ottawa. He’s hitting the stage of his career where the expectations are supposed to change. Can he do it? Sure, they will miss their former captain. But how much?

The good news is that Ottawa didn’t just throw up its hands and start over. They brought in players like William Eklund, Andre Burakovsky, and Samuel Ersson. It isn’t like Stützle has to rebuild this roster by himself. He just might have to become the guy everybody turns to when things start going sideways. And that’s probably the real test for him this season.

Brady Tkachuk is gone. Will Tim Stutzle lead the Senators this season?

Nobody’s asking him to suddenly score 40 goals or turn into some completely different player. The Senators just need him to become their guy. If he can pull that off while still producing the way he already has, Ottawa could be a genuinely interesting team to watch this season. Who knows? Maybe losing Tkachuk ends up pushing Stützle toward a step nobody could’ve asked him to take while Tkachuk still had the C on his chest.