The Ottawa Senators made an intriguing trade for Fabian Zetterlund at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Ottawa wanted to bolster its offense for the stretch run after the deadline. And Zetterlund showed promise on an abysmal San Jose Sharks squad. Unfortunately, the move has not worked out as Senators general manager Steve Staios envisioned.
Zetterlund has played five games for Ottawa since the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. The 25-year-old forward has not scored a goal or a point in those games. Moreover, he has averaged less than 10 minutes of ice time in these five contests. Suffice it to say, there is clearly something missing. But this is a down period Staios is confident Zetterlund can work through.
“I think that he’s going to continue to get opportunity,” Staios said recently, via Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com. “It’s a bit of a challenge for a player to come into a system and really feel comfortable with it, what our coaching staff wants from him. He’s fully capable of doing it. I think it’s just a little bit of a comfort level and a matter of time.”
Senators, Fabian Zetterlund chasing Stanley Cup Playoffs
The Senators are competing for a Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference at this time. Ottawa has not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2017, when they made the Eastern Conference Finals. After an offseason coaching change, this team is right where they felt they could be when building the roster in the offseason.
In saying all of this, Staios understands this team is not guaranteed anything. The Senators currently own a four-point lead over the Montreal Canadiens for the top Wild Card spot in the East. A four-point lead is a bit of a cushion. However, a slight stumble could cause them to fall down the standings.
It certainly doesn’t help Ottawa that the East Wild Card race is extremely close even at this stage. Five teams are within three points of the final Wild Card spot in the East. A good number of teams are still alive in the postseason chase. And that means the Senators must bring their best effort night in and night out moving forward.
“(The playoffs are) the ultimate goal for this group,” Staios told the media at the NHL GM Meetings, via Cotsonika. “But there’s so much hockey yet to be played. The standings are so tight. There’s so many quality teams in and around us that we want to stay focused.”
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