Schedule Breakdown: Wild West

Only one trip to town for each of the sixteen Western Conference opponents makes these games often must watch affairs. With some big moves happening out west this offseason that may be more true now than ever

Of course fans who want to guarantee access to their favourite Western Conference match ups this season can purchase a full, half, or Sens on Demand Membership.

For more in depth schedule analysis check out these break downs:

• Canadian Clashes
• Division Rivalries
• Saturday Showdowns

With all that in mind, let's take a deep dive into what fans can expect from the Wild West when they come to Canadian Tire Centre this season!

Anaheim Ducks (2024-25 Record: 35-37-10; 80 points)

Nov. 20 10:00 p.m. | Honda Center
March 14 1:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

Over the last few years the Ducks have been another team that has been letting their young talent develop. This offseason has clearly signaled a change in mentality and they look hungry to make a playoff push this now.

Trading young budding talent Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of the NHL Draft in exchange for Ryan Poehling showed that they were a bit more serious about their intentions to be a team in the West to fear. Adding Chris Kreider and Mikael Granlund continues their trend of bringing veterans who know how to win into the fold alongside Jacob Trouba who they added in December of last season.

The biggest issue yet to be dealt with in Anaheim is the free agency status of young forward Mason McTavish. McTavish took a jump this season amassing career highs in goals, assists, and points. Surely the preference would be to re-sign such a young talent but in the event the two sides can't reach a deal he should fetch a good return on the market highlighting that the moves may not be done yet in Anaheim this offseason.

The Senators and Ducks faced off twice in short order last season, splitting the season series with the Ducks winning 4-3 in a shootout on Dec. 1 before the Senators returned the favour in a big way winning 5-1 on Dec. 11. A birthday gift for Senators Assistant Coach Daniel Alfredsson.

Calgary Flames (2024-25 Record: 41-27-14; 95 points)

Oct. 30 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Mar. 05 9:00 p.m. | Scotiabank Saddledome

After narrowly missing the playoffs last season with the St. Louis Blues edging them out on a tie breaker in the final game of their season, Calgary has a lot to be excited about heading into this season. The Flames will effectively be running back the same team as last season with the biggest offseason move being back up goaltender Dan Vladar signing with the Philadelphia Flyers. With that the Flames may lean on Russian netminder Ivan Prosvetov, who spent last season in the KHL, to back up their breakout goaltender Dustin Wolf who is just entering his second season.

The Flames may have some movement on the blue line with looming questions around a trade for Rasmus Andersson while Zayne Parekh looks poised to claim a spot with the team after making his debut with the Flames at the end of last season. Parekh, the ninth overall selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, had a stellar junior career, tallying 203 points over the final two seasons of his OHL career with the Saginaw Spirit.

The Senators swept the season series last year with a 4-3 win at home Calgary in November and a 3-2 overtime win in Calgary just weeks later, with Brady Tkachuk potting the game-winning goal in both games.

Chicago Blackhawks (2024-25 Record: 25-46-11; 61 points)

Oct. 28 8:45 p.m. | United Center
Dec. 20 3:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

Similar to the San Jose Sharks, the Chicago Blackhawks have spent the last couple of seasons with tempered expectations, letting their young players develop. Led by Emerging star Connor Bedard who bested his Calder Trophy winning campaign across the board in just his second second season and looks poised to take a big step heading into year three.

It's been a quiet offseason in terms of bringing players in for the Blackhawks, but they have bid farewell to a healthy portion of their roster from last season. Pat Maroon and Alec Martinez but called it a career while Joe Veleno and Victor Soderstrom have both found new teams. The big moves that they have made have been bringing in Andre Burakovsky and Sam Lafferty and drafting Anton Frondell in the first round of the NHL Draft this season.

While times have been tough in Chicago over the last half decade or so, they have proven to be a tough opponent for the Senators. The Senators and Blackhawks have split their season series in each of the two seasons and the Blackhawks are 8-1-1 in their last 10 contests against the Senators. Look for the Sens to try to buck that trend this season when they come to town right before the Christmas break.

Colorado Avalanche (2024-25 Record: 49-29-4; 102 points)

Jan. 08 9:00 p.m. | Ball Arena
Jan. 28 7:30 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

One of the league's long standing Stanley Cup contenders having made the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, the Colorado Avalanche look primed for another season of greatness. Factor in battling back to tie the series twice against the Dallas Stars only to eventually lose in game seven of the first round, the Avalanche

The leadership of this Avalanche team has been one of their greatest strengths. Led by Nathan MacKinnon coming off his third consecutive 100-point season, Cale Makar fresh off his second Norris Trophy winning campaign, and captain Gabriel Landeskog making his long awaited return for the playoffs after three seasons held out with injury, the Avalanche rarely waver. Throw in and offseason addition like Brent Burns and the Avs should be a steady force all season.

Like all teams, the Avalanche weren't without loss this offseason. After two seasons in Denver, Jonathan Drouin moved onto the New York islanders in free agency, while trade deadling acquisitions Ryan Lindgren and Charlie Coyle both opted for new opportunities in Seattle and Columbus respectively.

The Avalanche have had the Senators number in recent years having won six straight games. These games typically end up being high scoring affairs with three of the last four games having at least nine goals scored and typically a back-and-forth battle right to the end. Fans can likely expect more high scoring contests between these two with the Sens looking to end the Avs streak.

Dallas Stars (2024-25 Record: 50-26-6; 106 points)

Nov. 11 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Nov. 30 6:00 p.m. | American Airlines Center

Since the 2019-20 season it's hard to find many teams better than the Dallas Stars. With a Stanley Cup Final appearance and three consecutive trips to the Western Conference Final, the Stars have been a force in the league for years. Last season they added a major weapon in Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline who proved crucial in the playoffs with a chip on his shoulder tallying 11 points in the final three games of their opening round series to take down his former team the Colorado Avalanche.

While the Stars have seen some key players move on this offseason like Evgenii Dadonov, Cody Ceci, and Mikael Granlund, they also welcomed back a familiar face. Just one season after being traded from Dallas to St. Louis, Radek Faksa returns to the Lone Star state signing a three-year deal in free agency.

The Stars biggest offseason move was moving on from Pete DeBoer who led the Stars to the Conference Finals in each of his three seasons in Dallas. Glen Gulutzan will take the reins as the bench boss and look to lead this Stars core to the next level. With Rantanen, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnson, Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn leading the charge up front while Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley, and Ilya Lubushkin hold down the blue line and Jake Oettinger minds the net, Gulutzan has an arsenal at his disposal.

The Sens and Stars have gone back and forth over the last few years having split the season series in each of the last three seasons. Most recently the Sens took down the Stars in a thrilling 3-2 battle in the middle of January front of a raucous crowd at Canadian Tire Centre.

Edmonton Oilers (2024-25 Record: 48-29-5; 101 points)

Oct. 21 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Mar. 03 9:00 p.m. | Rogers Place

After making it to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season the Oilers have shown in spades that they are one of the league's top teams. Led by the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, scoring has not been an issue for this core ranking first in goals per game since the 2021-22 NHL season.

Both Oilers goaltenders boasted solid seasons last year With Stuart Skinner (2.81 GAA and a 0.896% save percentage) as the no. 1 option and Calvin Pickard (2.71 GAA and a 0.900% save percentage) set to back up once again this season. However, unsteady stretches have been costly for the Oilers, when the goaltending is hot, it's red hot; when it's cold, it's ice cold.

After losing veterans Corey Perry, Jeff Skinner, and Evander Kane this offseason, the Oilers look to fill that veteran presence this upcoming year with newcomers Curtis Lazar and Andrew Mangiapane. After back-to-back deep postseason runs with nothing to show expect this Oilers team to come out hungry this season with a massive chip on their shoulder.

The Oilers swept the season series last year with a 5-2 win at Canadian Tire Centre in November before picking up a 3-1 win at home in Edmonton one month later.

LA Kings (2024-25 Record: 48-25-9; 105 points)

Nov. 15 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Nov. 24 9:00 p.m. | Crypto.com Arena

The Kings had a strong 2024-25 campaign resulting in their fourth consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where unfortunately the met and lost to the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth consecutive year. With steady leaders Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty still in place this Kings team is poised for another season as one of the best in the West.

There was a lot of movement in La La Land this offseason with Tanner Jeannot, Vladislav Gavrikov, David Rittich all moving on to new teams which adding Cody Ceci, Joel Armia, Anton Forsberg, and Brian Dumoulin. Perhaps the most intriguing offseason addition for the Kings was adding longtime crosstown rival Corey Perry who also was a member of the Oilers team that knocked them out of the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

The Senators and Kings split their season series last season with each side winning on home ice. Of course, the Senators win came in one of the most thrilling and high scoring games of the season edging out the Kings in an 8-7 effort on October 14.

Minnesota Wild (2024-25 Record: 45-30-7; 97 points)

December 13 2:00 p.m. | Xcel Energy Center
April 04 1:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

The Minnesota Wild have quietly been one of the most consistent teams of the last decade and a half making the playoffs 11 out of the last 13 years and last season was no different. While the playoff run was short lived against the Vegas Golden Knights, there appear to be bright skies ahead after a fruitful offseason for the Wild.

Bringing some Stanley Cup experience into the locker room this season with two-time winner Vladimir Tarasenko and the return of Nico Sturm fresh off a cup win this past season should help bolster their roster. Factor in a hopefully healthy season from Kirill Kaprisov and the development of emerging star defenceman Brock Faber and young gun Zeev Buium and this Wild team looks poised to take another step.

The one question the Wild still have to address heading into this season is who there back up goaltender will be. With Filip Gustavson establishing himself as the number one option and Marc-André Fleury hanging up his skates there is a void to fill. Perhaps Cal Petersen could prove to be the back up however, with only five NHL games under his belt since the beginning of the 2023-24 season and none this past year, that seems unlikely.

The Senators took the season series against the Wild last season with a 3-1 win in Minnesota before coming back to Canadian Tire Centre and delivering a crushing 6-0 shut out effort behind Leevi Meriläinen.

Nashville Predators (2024-25 Record: 30-44-8; 68 points)

Oct.13 1:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Jan. 22 8:00 p.m. | Bridgestone Arena

Many believed the Nashville Predators to be the winners of the offseason heading into the 2024-25 season signing veteran forwards with Stanley Cup experience Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault while hammering down an eight-year extension with golatender Juuse Saros. However, the Stanley Cup experience of Stamkos and Marchessault paired with the existing core of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, Roman Josi fell short of expectations finishing seventh in the Central and missing the playoffs.

A playoff regular, making the postseason in eight of nine seasons heading into last season the Predators will look to re-enter the mix heading into GM Barry Trotz's third season at the helm. Following a deal right before the trade deadline to add Michael Bunting along with some key offseason additions in trading for Erik Haula and Nicolas Hague while signing Nicklaus Perbix, Trotz has certainly bolstered the Predators roster heading into next season.

The Senators swept the season series against the Predators last year winning 3-1 at Canadian Tire Centre before a big 5-2 win in February at Bridgestone Arena. Altogether the Senators have won four of the last six meetings between these two clubs and will look to add to that in their two meetings this season.

San Jose Sharks (2024-25 Record: 20-50-12; 52 points)

Nov. 22 7:00 p.m. | SAP Center
March 15 5:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

Expectations were low in San Jose last season as they are letting their young blossoming core come into their own and it will likely be much of the same this upcoming season. With young guns Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund combining for 60 goals this past season and potentially bringing Michael Misa into the fold, the Sharks will be stacked up front for years to come.

The Sharks have been among the most active in the league this offseason adding veteran players like John Klingberg, Adam Gaudette, Jeff Skinner, and Dmitry Orlov to help alongside their young core. A trade with the Penguins for goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic helps bolster their net presence heading into this season as well.

The Senators swept the season series last year though the Sharks certainly didn't make it easy on them only outscoring San Jose by three goals across the two games.

Seattle Kraken (2024-25 Record: 35-41-6; 76 points)

Oct. 16 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
March 07 10:00 p.m. | Climate Pledge Arena

One of the league's newest teams the Kraken have had glimpses of being a strong team, making the playoffs in 2022-23. However, this past season was a tougher go in Seattle finishing 13th in the West. However, the Kraken have had a strong offseason and aim to be back in the playoff race this year.

Bringing in Mason Marchment and Frederick Gaudreau should add some firepower alongside Matty Beniers, Jordan Eberle, Kaapo Kakko and co. On the blue line adding Ryan Lindgren to play alongside Brandon Montour bolsters the defensive core with a top four also featuring Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson.

The symmetry of the Senators two battles with Seattle last season was something special. A 3-0 shutout win at Canadian Tire Centre in early November was matched with a 3-0 shutout win at Climate Pledge Arena in mid-December. While it's probably unrealistic to expect another season of shutting out the Kraken, there's surely a bit of an edge in this series right now favouring the Senators.

St. Louis Blues (2024-25 Record: 44-30-8; 96 points)

Nov. 28 4:00 p.m. | Enterprise Center
Dec. 06 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

In a fashion akin to the 2019 run the Blues had one of the hottest second halves of the season last year sneaking into the playoffs at the very end of the season. They followed that up by pushing the President's Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets to the waning seconds of game seven for a near upset in the opening round. To say there's a lot of optimism in St. Louis since bringing Jim Montgomery into the fold almost seems like an understatement.

It's been a quiet but impactful offseason for the Blues. They traded Zac Bolduc to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Logan Mailloux while also signing Pius Suter in free agency to a two-year deal. Additionally, veterans Ryan Suter and Radek Faksa hit free agency with the latter signing with the Dallas Stars.

In their two meetings last season both the Senators and Blues won on home ice both in commanding fashion. The Senators laid a beat down on the Blues in October winning 8-1 while the Blues shutout the Senators 4-0 on their trip to St. Louis.

Utah Mammoth (2024-25 Record: 38-31-13; 89 points)

Nov. 09 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
Jan. 03 7:00 p.m. | Delta Center

In their first season in the league the Utah Mammoth proved to be a solid team coming just seven point short of a playoff berth in a fierce Central Division. With a few key offseason additions, look for the Mammoth to take the next step and compete for the playoffs this year.

The Mammoth had their own swing for the fences move early into their offseason trading Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for budding star forward JJ Peterka. Peterka, who set a career high with 68 points last season, joins a core of Clayton Keller, Logan Cooley, Dylan Guenther, and Nick Schmaltz, all of whom tallied 60 or more points last season.

Additionally, the Mammoth added a few key depth veterans in Brandon Tanev and Nate Schmidt, the latter bringing some crucial Stanley Cup experience having just won with the Panthers a couple months ago. Another quietly good offseason acquisition in Vitek Vanecek bolsters the Mammoth goaltending tandem, with Vanecek also bringing some Stanley Cup experience from his time backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida.

The Senators had the Mammoth's number last season sweeping the series by a combined score of 7-1 including a shutout in the Senators first ever trip to Salt Lake City. With an early visit to Canadian Tire Centre from a new look Mammoth team, look for the Senators to try to keep their streak alive and well.

Vancouver Canucks (2024-25 Record: 38-30-14; 90 points)

Jan. 13 7 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre
March 09 9 p.m. | Rogers Arena

One year after leading the Pacific Division, the Canucks found themselves in the midst of a down year last season. Surrounded by outside noise about their locker room chemistry they weren't able to pull their season together and finished on the outside looking in of the playoff picture.

However, after trading J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers at the deadline for Filip Chytil and Victor Mancini, re-signing Brock Boeser to a seven-year contract, and naming Adam Foote as the new Head Coach in the offseason, the Canucks look ready to bounce back next season. Look for Elias Pettersson, who had a down 2024-25 campaign, to have a bounce back year while captain Quinn Hughes anchoring the blue line offers this Canucks team stability.

The departure of Arturs Silovs, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins just a week ago, may instill confidence for Canucks fans heading into this season. With Thatcher Demko dealing with injury for most of the season, Silovs spent a good portion of last season backing up Kevin Lankinen. A willingness to move Silovs may be an indicator that Demko, the Vezina runner-up in 2023-24, may be fully healthy heading into this upcoming season.

The Senators and Canucks split the season series this year with the Canucks winning at Canadian Tire Centre on November 23 before the Sens returned the favour in Vancouver with a 5-4 overtime win at Rogers Arena to secure Leevi Meriläinen's first NHL win.

Vegas Golden Knights (2024-25 Record: 50-22-10; 110 points)

Nov. 26 10:00 p.m. | T-Mobile Arena
Jan. 25 5:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

A perennial playoff team since their inception in 2018, the Vegas Golden Knights kept their winning ways alive last season, finishing first in the Pacific Division before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A big offseason has them poised to make some noise once again in the 2025-26 season.

Of course, you can't talk about the Golden Knights offseason without talking about their big addition right before free agency, trading Nicolas Roy to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Mitch Marner who immediately signed an eight-yeat $96-million contract. That wasn't the end of their offseason trades also acquiring Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nicolas Hague.

Marner and Sissons join a forward core of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, and Pavel Dorofeyev all who amassed 50 or more points last season. Marner fresh off his first 100-point season adds some punch to this already stacked Golden Knights aresenal.

The scales have tipped in the Golden Knights favour when it comes to the Senators pretty much since inception with a 12-1-1 record overall. Last season, the battles were close with the Golden Knights scoring two quick goals late in regulation and then tucking in an empty net goal to secure a 6-4 win in Las Vegas before narrowly winning a 3-2 game at Canadian Tire Centre. Expect the Senators to look to change the tides next season with a steady core and a hunger to take that next step.

ff team since their inception in 2018, the Vegas Golden Knights kept their winning ways alive last season, finishing first in the Pacific Division before falling to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A big offseason has them poised to make some noise once again in the 2025-26 season.

Of course, you can't talk about the Golden Knights offseason without talking about their big addition right before free agency, trading Nicolas Roy to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Mitch Marner who immediately signed an eight-yeat $96-million contract. That wasn't the end of their offseason trades also acquiring Jeremy Lauzon and Colton Sissons from the Nashville Predators in exchange for Nicolas Hague.

Marner and Sissons join a forward core of Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, and Pavel Dorofeyev all who amassed 50 or more points last season. Marner fresh off his first 100-point season adds some punch to this already stacked Golden Knights aresenal.

The scales have tipped in the Golden Knights favour when it comes to the Senators pretty much since inception with a 12-1-1 record overall. Last season, the battles were close with the Golden Knights scoring two quick goals late in regulation and then tucking in an empty net goal to secure a 6-4 win in Las Vegas before narrowly winning a 3-2 game at Canadian Tire Centre. Expect the Senators to look to change the tides next season with a steady core and a hunger to take that next step.

Winnipeg Jets (2024-25 Record: 56-22-4; 116 points)

Dec. 15 7:30 p.m. | Canada Life Centre
Jan. 03 7:00 p.m. | Canadian Tire Centre

Following a President's Trophy campaign in 2024-25 the Jets will look to build on a solid season last year led by the reigning Hart Memorial Trophy and Vezina trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck between the pipes.

While defence epitomized their strength with a league leading 2.32 goals against last season, the Jets were a high producing offence last year as well. Scoring a whopping 3.35 goals per game, third most in the NHL, the Jets were getting help from all sides last season. They boasted five skaters with 50+ points, led by Kyle Connor's 41 goals and 56 assists for 97 points. Of course, as all teams inevitably find out it's increasingly difficult to keep a strong core together and the Jets were no stranger to this losing Nikolaj Ehlers to the Carolina Hurricanes in Free Agency this year. While they still boast a strong core they will likely need to take a piecemeal approach to replace his production.

The Senators may boast a chip on their shoulder when facing the Jets next season as Winnipeg swept the season series last year by a combined score of 8-3.

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