OTTAWA — Tim Stutzle has been the Robin to Brady Tkachukâ€s Batman, but even without Tkachuk, Stutzle has shown he is every bit a force of nature.Â
“Heâ€s nasty,†said teammate Drake Batherson about Stutzle — meaning it in a good way, of course.
Stutzleâ€s talent has never been questioned. Heâ€s a dynamic, silky skater with unbelievable hands and a bit of an edge. But, at times, Stutzleâ€s play has felt like empty calories — lots of beautiful plays but lacking the production to match the finesse. The question became, Would Stutzle’s play wane or elevate without Tkachuk?
We appear to have the answer: Stutzle has 13 points in 10 games without Tkachuk while riding a five-game point streak.Â
The Germanâ€s goal against Montreal epitomized his toughness infused with skill.
Sometimes, young uber-talented star centres focus on points over wins. Not Stutzle. Heâ€s become an excellent all-around player, which is back up by the stats. According to Evolving Hockey, since the start of the 2024-25 season, Stutzle is fifth in the league in WAR (wins above replacement). The names in front of him are Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak and Thomas Harley. One stat doesnâ€t tell the whole story, but that is a stratospheric list.Â
Something the greats in any sport need is belief-in-self while understanding the need to work on their shortcomings.
One Senator last season told Sportsnet.ca that Stutzle is one of the most confident players heâ€s ever played with.
“I know what I can bring to the table, and I just got to stay confident,†said Stutzle.
His adjustments this season include a new tape job. Stutzle used to have a thin layer of tape on the bottom of the stick blade. But following the advice of the GSOAT (Greatest Senator of All-Time) Daniel Alfredsson, Stutzleâ€s entire blade is now covered in a white band of tape.
Alfredsson believed the new tape would allow Stutzle to hold onto the puck rather than “fumbling it 10 times,†as Stutzle mentioned had happened before. It seems to have worked, Stutzle has seven points in 10 periods with the new setup.
If you ask Stutzle about Alfredsson, his face lights up. “Heâ€s awesome,†said Stutzle. The pair frequently pass the puck around to begin practice.
“Learning from the Hall of Famer, he always has some tricks on the ice, off the ice, and he’s just such a smart person,†said Stutzle. “So, it’s just really fun to hear his opinions. And he doesn’t always agree, which is great too.â€
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Stutzle has also elevated his game in the face-off dot. Before this season, he had never had more than a 47 per cent winning percentage in a season. This season has just started, granted, but he has skyrocketed to 60 per cent.Â
“Face-offs, just for example this year, he’s one of the best in the league, and he really put that commitment, time and effort into getting better,†Tkachuk said.Â
Plus, Stutzle knew and stated on multiple occasions that he needed to shoot more this season, after having a career low in shots per game last season. He now leads the team with 40 shots. Heâ€s been rewarded with six goals in 13 games, on pace for 37 goals. He had 24 last season.
The best players sacrifice themselves for the team. Stutzle shifted to the wing for three games last month, and in that time his centreman, Dylan Cozens, had two goals.Â
“He’s such a phenomenal player that said he can play anywhere, any position with anybody, and heâ€s a dominant player in that fashion,†Tkachuk said about Stutzle. Â
Stutzle never complained about playing left wing for the first time since he made the NHL.Â
“Doesn’t matter who’s playing centre, who’s playing wing,†he said.
Subsequently, Senators coach Travis Green slotted Stutzle back to centre and he thrived with Nick Cousins and Batherson on his wings. The trio have a 64 per cent expected goals share, the best of any Senators line this season thatâ€s played over 20 minutes at five-on-five.Â
Stutzle has made Cousins almost as effective as Tkachuk, which would have sounded like an absurd sentence earlier this season. Cousins has two goals in five games on the line.
But, more importantly, the kinship between Batherson and Stutzle has led to Ottawa going 4-2-2 since being united. The duo has combined for 26 points in eight games. Heater.Â
For years, the Senators have been trying to find the rightÂright winger for Stutzle. They’ve found him now. Batherson works off Stutzle tremendously well because he can keep up to his pace, provides elite playmaking and skill with a good scoring touch.
“I think he’s a hell of a player. I told you guys that many times,†said Stutzle about Batherson. “I think he’s one of the most underrated players, one of the best playmakers in the game, in my opinion.â€
The good problem for Green will be, when Tkachuk returns, is whether to overload the top line. Could we be seeing shades of the Pizza Line (Daniel Alfredsson-Jason Spezza-Dany Heatley)?
Thereâ€s no question Stutzle wants to be one of the best players in the world. The Senators have weathered the storm without their captain because theyâ€ve had “the guyâ€Âand need that to continue to make the playoffs in the ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
Senators fans have affectionately nicknamed Stutzle “Timmy Superstar.â€
Heâ€s living up to it.
Bathersonâ€s blunder: We spoke glowingly about Batherson earlier, but hereâ€s some hard truths. We canâ€t dismiss the gaffe Batherson had against Montreal that led directly to Montrealâ€s overtime winner by Alex Newhook on Saturday.Â
After the game, Batherson declined to talk to the media. It was a similar blunder to when he lost Max Domi in transition in Game 2 of last yearâ€s playoff series against the Maple Leafs, leading to Domiâ€s overtime winner. Itâ€s funny how one mistake changes the discourse around a player. But there is no doubt Batherson has to become a more complete player.Â
Jordan Spence loses his spot: Five points in five games and the best expected goals per cent of any Senator defenceman wasnâ€t enough for Jordan Spence to keep his spot. But Green reinserted Nikolas Matinpalo with Tyler Kleven on Saturday. The two were caved in with a putrid eight per cent expected goals share against Montreal. However, on the season, Matinpalo and Kleven have done a good job in sheltered third-pairing minutes but have not been on the ice for a five-on-five goal for the Senators. Meanwhile, Nick Jensen and Thomas Chabotâ€s underlying numbers are all right, but the eye test suggests Jensen is a 35-year-old coming off major hip-surgery and both were also caved in late against Montreal, which led to Ivan Demidovâ€s late equalizing goal. Maybe it would be fruitful for Jensen to sit a game and let Green see how a new look backend would look.Â
Sandersonâ€s impact: While sifting through analytics, we found a fascinating statistic: Jake Sanderson ranks first among all skaters in the NHL in Wins Above Replacement, according to Evolving Hockey. The Senators have survived the absence of Tkachuk; we are not sure they would similarly survive a Sanderson injury.Â
–Some statistics from Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick and Moneypuck.com.
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