Ottawa senators’ Dylan Cozens Emerging as Key to Team Success
OTTAWA – Dylan Cozens is rapidly becoming a pivotal player for the Ottawa Senators,contributing substantially to their performance despite the absence of captain Brady Tkachuk. Cozens’ strong start to the 2025-26 season,with nearly a point-per-game average,is attributed to dedicated off-season training in Muskoka.
“You can see that he, for me, looks like he’s skating better than he did last year,” noted Senators coach D.J. Green.
cozens’ impact extends beyond individual scoring; his play has been instrumental in Ottawa maintaining competitiveness during Tkachuk’s absence, and his continued success will be crucial when the captain returns. He has been deployed on a line with Tim Stutzle and Drake Batherson,alongside Nick Cousins,who has two goals in three games as the first-line left winger. Cousins jokingly remarked, “About time,” when asked about joining the dynamic duo.
The Senators’ offensive surge is also benefiting from the hockey acumen of team legend Daniel Alfredsson, whose expertise with hockey tape has seemingly translated to the NHL’s second-best power play. Green utilizes rotating line combinations, frequently pairing Cozens and Cousins with the Stutzle-Batherson tandem. Since being united, Stutzle has recorded 10 points and Batherson 11 points in six games.
Defensively,the pairing of Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo has proven effective,showcasing speed and physicality. They currently boast a better expected goals share than the pairing of jake Sanderson and Anton Zub, though they primarily face opposing teams’ third and fourth lines. This defensive success has, however, resulted in Jordan Spence remaining a healthy scratch despite four points in four games.
Through 11 games, the Senators hold a .500 record despite a team save percentage of.841, largely due to goaltender Linus Ullmark’s current .858 save percentage. However, the team recognizes the need for Ullmark to elevate his performance, as he has yet to deliver a game-stealing performance this season. Despite allowing seven goals to Chicago on Tuesday, Ottawa limited the opposition to only four high-danger chances, highlighting the need for improved goaltending to solidify their position in the competitive Atlantic Division.
