OTTAWA — When does a hockey player become a superstar?
Thereâ€s no magic star beside a playerâ€s name on NHL.com to indicate a player has reached that level, nor is there a generally accepted statistical threshold, such as 50 goals or 100 points.Â
Itâ€s unquantifiable, yet we all know one when we see one.
“He is a superstar,†Senators goalie Linus Ullmark said recently of Tim Stutzle.
Probably not yet, in most observers†eyes. But can he be?
“I would say (I) consider myself so young in this league,†the 23-year-old Stutzle said, in an interview with Sportsnet.ca. “I can still work a lot on my body to get stronger and faster. So, I think I have a big upside.â€
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Senators fans already believe in their top centre, affectionately calling him “Timmy Superstar.” He got that nickname in large part thanks to scoring 39 goals and 90 points as a 21-year-old. After a down 2023-24, the young German rebounded, clawing back his offensive game with 24 goals and 79 assists while transforming his defensive play from porous to elite. In 2024-25, Stutzle had an expected goals allowed at five-on-five of 2.25, which ranked him 122 out of 704.Â
“Well, any championship team that wins, their star players don’t just play offence; they donâ€t cheat,†said Senators coach Travis Green, in reference to Stutzleâ€s defensive growth.
“They play at both ends of the rink. They’re able to create offence and have good defence.â€
But to join the upper echelon, 79 points wonâ€t do. Stutzleâ€s challenge is to showcase his offensive capabilities like he did in 2022-23, while maintaining his defensive repertoire.
“I want to win more games, and it doesn’t do the job if you score 50 but you lose every game,†Stutzle said.
“It helps when I produce. We’re winning the games.
“But in the end, I think that if I played better defensively and shut down other guys, we have the same chance to win games too.â€
Meticulous hard work matched with a stringent diet and competitive fire would do the trick.Â
In the off-season, Stutzle gained muscle and continued working with his personal chef. Although he shies away from asking the chef to make traditional German delicacies, new teammate Fabian Zetterlund felt right at home when he moved in after last season’s trade deadline and requested Swedish meatballs.
Despite a great 2024-25 campaign, the star German centre didnâ€t feel he got off the right start last season.
“I like playing at the same weight that I played at last year,†said Stutzle. “I was a little bit heavier (last season). I didn’t feel as good. I trained (this off-season) and got more muscle, more strength, and while still feeling that quickness.â€
Stutzle says heâ€s never felt better.
But he also needs to shoot more. In 2024-25, Stutzle had the lowest shots per game of his career, at 1.97, matched by his second-highest shooting percentage of his career, at 14.8 per cent. Senators fans have roared “Shoooot!†when Stutzle gets into the slot but decides to pass it off.
A self-proclaimed playmaker, Stutzle knows his mindset needs to change.
“I’m always getting chances,†he said.
“Trying to get that groove again and where you’re playing games and knowing what decision to make, and if you have a shoot-first mentality, you find the right play.â€Â
Itâ€s easier for anyone to score more with more ice time. Simple math. Stutzleâ€s ice time took a dip in 2024-25 to just over 19 minutes a night. However, in this pre-season, his coach has thrust him onto the penalty kill. The trend around the league is for superstar players to display their talent to defend but also able to hurt opponents short-handed: look at Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
If youâ€re a superstar, you kill penalties.
“(Killing penalties) came from the coaching staff, (they) tried me out and I love that,†said Stutzle. “They believe in me, and I think they saw that I took big steps defensively last year. And, obviously, as a PK guy, you got to bear down defensively, but there’s also chances for rush opportunities, and you have your skill guys on the ice, I think you can get chances.â€
All is set for the ultra-skilled Senators centre to leap from star to superstar.Â
“Tim’s a real committed player,†Green said. “He doesn’t go home at the end of the season thinking that this is his best version. He knows that he’s young, but he also wants to be as good as he can.â€
• Ottawa announced a slew of cuts on Thursday. One notable name not included was Carter Yakemchuk, still aboard with the roster sitting at 32. Another strong pre-season start has been rewarded but the competition will intensify as the season inches closer. More seasoning in the AHL still looks like the likeliest outcome and the right one for Ottawaâ€s elite prospect to develop.Â
• Drake Batherson will be out for at least two weeks with an upper-body injury after pulling a muscle in practice. The regular season is two weeks away, so itâ€s unclear whether Batherson will return by opening night, on Oct. 9. For now, his absence simplifies the choices on the wing. Both Zetterlund and David Perron will likely be inserted onto the second line. That reunites the incredibly effective third-line trio from last season: Shane Pinto, Ridly Greig and Michael Amadio.
Before Bathersonâ€s injury, Ottawa had 10 forwards fighting for the top-nine spots and was poised to have one man standing when the music stopped. For now, itâ€s Batherson in the stands looking on.Â
• Lars Eller has recovered from his abdominal and sports hernia procedures to be a full participant in practice on Thursday. Heâ€s close to game action.
“Is it going to be a week from now? I don’t know. We haven’t put a timetable on that, but it’s probably not too far away,†Eller said, about his return to playing date.
• Tyler Kleven and Nick Jensen will travel with the team to Quebec City for the Senators’ two pre-season games; itâ€s still unclear whether either will feature but itâ€s a promising sign.Â
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