Fabian Zetterlund’s Time With the Senators Could Be Limited – The Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

It’s been a month since the Ottawa Senators were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. It was a disastrous series for Ottawa’s two star forwards Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle, who combined for just one assist. However, the team needed more support from its forward depth, including Fabian Zetterlund.

Zetterlund and Senators’ Rollercoaster Season

Zetterlund was acquired by the Senators at the 2025 Trade Deadline from the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick and prospect Zack Ostapchuk. General manager Steve Staios made the move to improve his forward depth, and Zetterlund’s versatile skill set, which allows him to play up and down the lineup, was seen as a positive boost. However, the 26-year-old’s fifth NHL season can be described in one word: inconsistent.

Zetterlund played all 82 regular-season games, recording 17 goals (sixth on the team) and 33 points (10th). He failed for the second consecutive season to match his career highs of 24 goals and 44 points set in 2023-24 with the Sharks, and his average ice time dropped to 12:55, the lowest of his career – only Nick Cousins, Warren Foegele, and Lars Eller averaged less even strength ice time (EV TOI) than Zetterlund.

Despite a poor start, scoring one goal and three assists in his first 20 games, he consistently slotted inside the Senators’ top nine. From Nov. 20 to the end of December, he found his stride offensively, scoring eight goals and 13 points in 18 games. He finished the regular season on a high note, scoring four goals and six points in the final six games, while averaging 12:10 TOI.

In the playoffs, however, his EV TOI dropped to 9:33, the second lowest amongst forwards. Clearly, his play did not meet head coach Travis Green’s standards, and he was demoted to the fourth line while Ottawa searched for answers.

Zetterlund’s Play Not All Bad

According to Natural Stat Trick, when Zetterlund was deployed on a line with Tkachuk and Stutzle during the regular season, they drove play at 5-on-5 with a 64.14 shot-for percentage and a 61.94 scoring chances-for percentage.

When deployed in a bottom-six role, specifically on a line with Foegele and Eller, that trio was outplayed. They posted a team-worst 42.25% Corsi. Zetterlund proved to be more effective when playing up the lineup with more talented linemates, and this is where the Senators need to utilize him if they decide to keep him.

Will Zetterlund Be a Senator Next Season?

A benefit to keeping Zetterlund around is his physical game. The Senators ranked third in hits this season, and Zetterlund accounted for 155 of them, good for fourth on the team. When he’s on his game, he’s effective on the forecheck as the first man in, using his physicality, and when he has the puck, he manages it efficiently. He had the lowest giveaways per 60 on the team with 2.04. He also has a lethal release that can beat goalies clean one-on-one.

The issue is that when he’s playing in a top-six role, he’s expected to be the “workhorse” who gets into the dirty areas and feeds the pucks to his star linemates. Yet, he wasn’t effective in the bottom six, either – he doesn’t produce many takeaways, and his playmaking is subpar. Zetterlund is an average defensive forward, and it’s unlikely he will play on a line that is meant to shut down opposing teams’ top players.

After his rollercoaster season, Elliotte Friedman wondered on his 32 Thoughts podcast if they can find a better fit for him in the lineup. This was the first year of a three-year contract extension Zetterlund signed in June with a cap hit of $4.275 million for the next two seasons. That is too much for a fourth liner who has no points through ten playoff games with the Senators.

The silver lining here is that the cap is going up, and the team has $17 million in space heading into the summer. Unless the plan is to go after a big fish like Alex Tuch or Jason Robertson, there’s no harm in keeping Zetterlund for next season and utilizing him to his strengths.