Senators Week Ahead: Schedule & Storylines – Roster Realities, Testing Reserves and More – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

Here are the key storylines and upcoming schedule for the Ottawa Senators as they navigate a shortened preseason during the week of Sept. 20-26, 2026.

Bench Boss Headaches and Roster Realities

Training camp has officially opened in the nation’s capital, and head coach Travis Green is already facing the structural puzzles that define late September. With main camp underway at Canadian Tire Centre, the coaching staff is attempting to establish tactical consistency while managing high-volume roster evaluation.

For management, this week represents the bridge between offseason roster construction and functional execution. The front office enters camp with a largely locked-in group of veterans on one-way deals, leaving minimal room for long-shot dynamic pushes from Belleville prospects. The imperative now shifts from player selection to internal chemistry—establishing pair dynamics on the blue line and standardizing dynamic transition principles across all four forward units.

Defensive Reserves Tested Early

The primary talking point out of camp medicals centers on two missing mainstays. Right-shot defenceman Artem Zub remains sidelined as he continues to rehabilitate a lower-body issue sustained during last spring’s postseason. Zub chose a non-surgical rehabilitation track over the summer, and while he is currently skating on his own, he has not been cleared for full-contact group sessions.

Joining him on the sidelines is winger Warren Foegele. Foegele is dealing with a minor tweak that has kept him off the main sheet for the initial group drills.

Green emphasized that neither player faces a long-term absence, projecting both back in team practices prior to the regular season opener. However, Zub’s temporary absence directly impacts blue-line continuity. His role as a stabilizing defensive partner for primary puck-movers cannot easily be replicated, forcing the coaching staff to rotate depth options like Nikolas Matinpalo and Jordan Spence into top-four pairing slots during early exhibition play.

Evaluating the Inner Fringe

Because the top nine forward slots and top four defensive spots are virtually etched in stone, the coaching staff’s evaluation focus centers squarely on the bottom tier. The compressed exhibition format leaves the coaching staff with limited live-game shifts to evaluate fringe depth.

Key focal points include:

• Bottom-Six Identity: The staff must establish a cohesive, high-energy fourth line capable of suppressing opposition zone entries without taking undisciplined penalties.
• Special Teams Rotations: With key regulars resting during split-squad nights, secondary units will receive extended power-play time, testing decision-making at the offensive blue line.
• Pro-Readiness in Belleville: For young options not slated to break camp, showing structural discipline this week determines who earns the first mid-season call-up when inevitable injuries strike during the regular season grind.

With three games scheduled across a five-day stretch, the Senators’ staff will quickly learn which bubble players can translate system concepts into game-speed execution.

Senators Upcoming Schedule

The Senators enter a dense exhibition phase this week featuring classic divisional rivalries. To limit travel burden during camp, the schedule leans heavily on split-squad doubleheaders against regional foes Toronto and Montreal.

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