# 2009–10 Ottawa Senators season

The 2009–10 Ottawa Senators season was the 18th season of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). After missing the post-season in 2008–09 for the first time since the 1995–96 season, the team qualified for the playoffs with four games to play with a win against the Carolina Hurricanes on April 1, 2010. The Senators drew the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, which the Penguins won 4–2.

## Off-season

In early June, left winger Dany Heatley notified general manager Bryan Murray that he wanted a trade out of Ottawa. According to reports, Heatley was dissatisfied with his role and ice time under new head coach Cory Clouston.
On June 15, it was announced that team president Roy Mlakar's contract would not be renewed. Cyril Leeder, one of the principals in the "Bring Back the Sens" drive in 1990 was named as team president. He had previously been president and chief operating officer of Scotiabank Place and the related Senators Sports and Entertainment Corporation.
The team announced its first-ever exhibition game in Regina, Saskatchewan, to be held on September 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. It will be the first NHL game in Regina in 19 years.
At the NHL Entry Draft, the team chose defenceman Jared Cowen as their first-round pick, ninth overall. Cowan had been projected as a top-five pick, but had suffered a knee injury during the 2008–09 season. Cowen is tall and is expected to play a "shut-down" role in the future with the Senators.
In the days leading up to the July 1 free agency period, a prospective trade emerged for Dany Heatley with the Edmonton Oilers. Reportedly, the Oilers offered Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner and Ladislav Smid. Heatley met with the Edmonton management and turned down the trade using a no-movement clause in his contract. On July 1, the Senators were required to make a $4 million payment in advance of Heatley's 2009–10 salary, and the Senators had hoped to move Heatley before the payment. According to Slam! Sports, the Oilers were not on a list of teams acceptable to Heatley, the list of teams including the Rangers, Bruins, Canucks, Sharks, Kings, Red Wings, Flames and Blackhawks. According to GM Murray, teams were "sour" on Heatley and there were few offers.
The Senators made a major free-agent signing on July 6 when they signed former Montreal Canadiens forward Alexei Kovalev to a two-year contract. Kovalev's salary put the Senators at the salary cap limit. The Senators partially addressed this by trading goaltender Alex Auld to the Dallas Stars for a draft pick. By the date of Kovalev's formal introduction press conference on July 21, Heatley had not yet been traded and Kovalev expressed the wish that Heatley would return.
By the opening of training camp on September 12, Heatley had not been traded. Heatley reported and participated in camp activities. Heatley met with Clouston and Murray who hoped to persuade Heatley to drop his trade demand, which he did not. After the meeting, Murray became convinced that Heatley could not stay and had to be moved immediately. Heatley was traded later that day to the San Jose Sharks for wingers Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo and an exchange of draft picks. On November 3, it was confirmed that Senators owner Eugene Melnyk filed a grievance to demand that Heatley return a $4 million bonus the Senators paid Heatley on July 1, part of his contract.

## Preseason

2009 Pre-season game log: 2–4–0 (Home: 1–1–0; Road: 0–2–0)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeOTDecisionRecordRecap
1September 15 (in Halifax, NS)Ottawa Senators1-3Florida PanthersLeclaire0-1-0
2September 16Florida Panthers2-1Ottawa SenatorsBrodeur0-2-0
3September 18Ottawa Senators1-2Montreal CanadiensLehner0-3-0
4September 19Montreal Canadiens1-6Ottawa SenatorsLeclaire1-3-0
5September 21 (in Regina, SK)Ottawa Senators3-1Tampa Bay LightningElliott2-3-0
6September 25Boston Bruins2-1Ottawa SenatorsLeclaire2-4-0 :

## Regular season

The Senators started the season with several changes from the previous season. Heatley was traded, Christoph Schubert was demoted to Binghamton and eventually waived to Atlanta; Brian Lee who had played most of the previous season with Ottawa, was also demoted. Newcomers included Michalek and Cheechoo from the Heatley trade, Kovalev, a free agent signing, and Matt Carkner and Erik Karlsson made the team on defence. Before the end of October, Karlsson was demoted to Binghamton and Lee promoted to Ottawa. First round pick Jared Cowen was returned to junior. Ilya Zubov failed to make the team and was demoted to Binghamton. Zubov first demanded a trade, then accepted a contract reassignment to Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). The Senators retain his NHL rights.
In December, the Senators started to run into a streak of injuries. By the end of the month, the entire top line of Michalek, Spezza and Alfredsson was out with injuries.
On January 13, 2010, the Senators fired their goaltending coach, Eli Wilson. In the weeks prior to his firing, both Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott had poor outings. After the firing, the Senators went on a franchise and all-time team record win streak. The previous record of the current NHL franchise was eight games, set in 2007–08. The Senators passed that on January 30, with a win over the Canadiens. The Senators then passed their all-time record of ten consecutive wins (set twice — in 1908–09 and 1910) with a win over the Vancouver Canucks on February 4. The streak ended on February 6 with a loss to the Maple Leafs.
On February 12, the Senators made two moves. The club extended Bryan Murray's contract by a year and the club traded for Matt Cullen from the Carolina Hurricanes for Alexandre Picard and a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Following the trade, Jonathan Cheechoo was assigned to Binghamton after clearing NHL waivers.

### Standings

Northeast Division :
| | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | y – Buffalo Sabres | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 235 | 207 | 100 |
| 2 | Ottawa Senators | 82 | 44 | 32 | 6 | 225 | 238 | 94 |
| 3 | Boston Bruins | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 206 | 200 | 91 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 82 | 39 | 33 | 10 | 217 | 223 | 88 |
| 5 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 82 | 30 | 38 | 14 | 214 | 263 | 74 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p – Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 54 | 15 | 13 | 318 | 233 | 121 |
| 2 | y – New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 48 | 27 | 7 | 222 | 191 | 103 |
| 3 | y – Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 235 | 207 | 100 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 47 | 28 | 7 | 257 | 237 | 101 |
| 5 | Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 44 | 32 | 6 | 225 | 238 | 94 |
| 6 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 39 | 30 | 13 | 206 | 200 | 91 |
| 7 | Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 41 | 35 | 6 | 236 | 225 | 88 |
| 8 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 39 | 33 | 10 | 217 | 223 | 88 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 38 | 33 | 11 | 222 | 218 | 87 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 35 | 34 | 13 | 234 | 256 | 83 |
| 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 35 | 37 | 10 | 230 | 256 | 80 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 34 | 36 | 12 | 217 | 260 | 80 |
| 13 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 222 | 264 | 79 |
| 14 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 32 | 37 | 13 | 208 | 244 | 77 |
| 15 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 30 | 38 | 14 | 214 | 267 | 74 |
bold – Qualified for playoffs; y – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division)
AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division

### Game log

2009–10 game log :
October: 6–4–2 (Home: 3-2-2; Road: 3-2-0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
1October 3@ New York Rangers2 – 5Madison Square Garden (18,200)Leclaire0–1–0
2October 6@ Toronto Maple Leafs2 – 1Air Canada Centre (18,830)Leclaire1–1–0
3October 8New York Islanders3 – 2 (OT)Scotiabank Place (18,075)Leclaire2-1-0
4October 10Atlanta Thrashers4 – 2Scotiabank Place (19,360)Elliott3-1-0
5October 12Pittsburgh Penguins1 – 4Scotiabank Place (17,014)Leclaire3–2–0
6October 15Tampa Bay Lightning7 – 1Scotiabank Place (17,732)Leclaire4–2–0
7October 17@ Montreal Canadiens3 – 1Bell Centre (21,273)Leclaire5–2–0
8October 22Nashville Predators5 – 6 (OT)Scotiabank Place (18,970)Leclaire5–2–1
9October 24Boston Bruins3 – 4 (SO)Scotiabank Place (20,154)Elliott5–2–2
10October 28@ Florida Panthers4 – 3BankAtlantic Center (12,596)Leclaire6–2–2
11October 29@ Tampa Bay Lightning2 – 5St. Pete Times Forum (13,213)Elliott6–3–2
12October 31Atlanta Thrashers1 – 3Scotiabank Place (17,297)Leclaire6–4–2 :
November: 7-3-2 (Home: 7-1-1; Road: 0-2-1)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
13November 5Tampa Bay Lightning3 – 2 (OT)Scotiabank Place (17,511)Leclaire7–4–2
14November 7New Jersey Devils2 – 3Scotiabank Place (18,781)Leclaire7–5–2
15November 10Edmonton Oilers4 – 3 (SO)Scotiabank Place (17,977)Leclaire8–5–2
16November 12@ Philadelphia Flyers1 – 5Wachovia Center (19,321)Leclaire8–6–2
17November 14New York Rangers1 – 2 (SO)Scotiabank Place (17,561)Elliott8–6–3
18November 17Toronto Maple Leafs3 – 2Scotiabank Place (17,406)Leclaire9–6–3
19November 19Pittsburgh Penguins6 – 2Scotiabank Place (17,039)Leclaire10–6–3
20November 21Buffalo Sabres5 – 3Scotiabank Place (17,206)Elliott11–6–3
21November 23Washington Capitals4 – 3 (OT)Scotiabank Place (16,210)Elliott12-6-3
22November 25@ New Jersey Devils1 – 3Prudential Center (14,056)Elliott12-7-3
23November 26Columbus Blue Jackets2 – 1Scotiabank Place (19,244)Elliott13–7–3
24November 28@ Boston Bruins3 – 4 (SO)TD Garden (17,565)Elliott13-7-4 :
December: 8-9-0 (Home: 5-3-0; Road: 3-6-0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
25December 1@ San Jose Sharks2 – 5HP Pavilion (17,562)Elliott13-8-4
26December 3@ Los Angeles Kings3 – 6Staples Center (14,997)Elliott13-9-4
27December 5@ Phoenix Coyotes2 – 3Jobing.com Arena (8,642)Elliott13-10-4
28December 6@ Anaheim Ducks4 – 3 (SO)Honda Center (14,946)Elliott14–10–4
29December 8Montreal Canadiens1 – 4Scotiabank Place (18,866)Elliott14-11-4
30December 10@ Philadelphia Flyers2 – 0Wachovia Center (19,706)Elliott15-11-4
31December 12Carolina Hurricanes4 – 2Scotiabank Place (16,229)Elliott16-11-4
32December 14@ Toronto Maple Leafs2 – 3Air Canada Centre (19,315)Elliott16-12-4
33December 16Buffalo Sabres2 – 0Scotiabank Place (16,917)Elliott17-12-4
34December 18@ New Jersey Devils2 – 4Prudential Center (13,728)Elliott17-13-4
35December 19Minnesota Wild4 – 1Scotiabank Place (16,259)Brodeur18-13-4
36December 21Boston Bruins0 – 2Scotiabank Place (19,865)Elliott18-14-4
37December 23@ Pittsburgh Penguins2 – 8Mellon Arena (17,132)Elliott18-15-4
38December 26@ Buffalo Sabres3 – 2 (SO)HSBC Arena (18,690)Leclaire19-15-4
39December 28Montreal Canadiens4 – 2Scotiabank Place (20,369)Leclaire20-15-4
40December 30Colorado Avalanche3 – 4Scotiabank Place (17,823)Leclaire20–16–4
41December 31New York Islanders3 – 2 (SO)Scotiabank Place (16,743)Leclaire21–16–4 :
January: 10-5-0 (Home: 5-2-0; Road: 5-3-0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
42January 3Philadelphia Flyers7 – 4Scotiabank Place (17,153)Elliott22–16–4
43January 5Boston Bruins1 – 4Scotiabank Place (19,156)Elliott22-17-4
44January 7@ Washington Capitals2 – 5Verizon Center (18,277)Leclaire22-18-4
45January 9Florida Panthers0 – 3Scotiabank Place (16,506)Elliott22-19-4
46January 10@ Carolina Hurricanes1 – 4RBC Center (16,892)Leclaire22-20-4
47January 12@ Atlanta Thrashers1 – 6Philips Arena (10,017)Leclaire22–21–4
48January 14@ New York Rangers2 – 0Madison Square Garden (18,200)Brodeur23–21–4
49January 16@ Montreal Canadiens4 – 2Bell Centre (21,273)Brodeur24–21–4
50January 18@ Boston Bruins5 – 1TD Garden (17,565)Elliott25–21–4
51January 19Chicago Blackhawks4 – 1Scotiabank Place (17,556)Elliott26–21–4
52January 21St. Louis Blues3 – 2Scotiabank Place (16,063)Elliott27–21–4
53January 23@ Boston Bruins2 – 1TD Garden (17,565)Elliott28–21–4
54January 26New Jersey Devils3 – 0Scotiabank Place (18,107)Elliott29–21–4
55January 28@ Pittsburgh Penguins4 – 1Mellon Arena (17,084)Elliott30–21–4
56January 30Montreal Canadiens3 – 2Scotiabank Place (20,500)Elliott31–21–4 :
February: 5-2-0 (Home: 3-0-0; Road: 2-2-0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
57February 3@ Buffalo Sabres4 – 2HSBC Arena (18,690)Elliott32–21–4
58February 4Vancouver Canucks3 – 1Scotiabank Place (18,803)Elliott33–21–4
59February 6@ Toronto Maple Leafs0 – 5Air Canada Centre (19,426)Elliott33–22–4
60February 9Calgary Flames3 – 2Scotiabank Place (18,682)Elliott34-22-4
61February 11Washington Capitals6 – 5Scotiabank Place (19,682)Elliott35-22-4
62February 13@ Detroit Red Wings1 – 4Joe Louis Arena (20,066)Elliott35-23-4
63February 14@ New York Islanders4 – 3Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (11,297)Elliott36-23-4 :
March: 6-7-1 (Home: 2-2-1; Road: 4-5-0)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
64March 2New York Rangers1 – 4Scotiabank Place (18,254)Elliott36-24-4
65March 4@ Carolina Hurricanes1 – 4RBC Center (17,048)Leclaire36-25-4
66March 6Toronto Maple Leafs1 – 2 (SO)Scotiabank Place (20,036)Leclaire36-25-5
67March 9@ Edmonton Oilers4 – 1Rexall Place (16,839)Elliott37-25-5
68March 11@ Calgary Flames0 – 2Pengrowth Saddledome (19,289)Elliott37-26-5
69March 13@ Vancouver Canucks1 – 5General Motors Place (18,810)Leclaire37-27-5
70March 16Toronto Maple Leafs4 – 1Scotiabank Place (20,405)Elliott37-28-5
71March 18@ Atlanta Thrashers3 – 6Philips Arena (12,718)Elliott37-29-5
72March 20@ Dallas Stars4 – 5American Airlines Arena (17,110)Leclaire37-30-5
73March 22@ Montreal Canadiens2 – 0Bell Centre (21,273)Elliott38-30-5
74March 23Philadelphia Flyers2 – 0Scotiabank Place (19,209)Elliott39-30-5
75March 26@ Buffalo Sabres4 – 2HSBC Arena (18,690)Elliott40-30-5
76March 27Florida Panthers3 – 2Scotiabank Place (18,689)Elliott41-30-5
77March 30@ Washington Capitals5 – 4 (OT)Verizon Center (18,277)Elliott42-30-5 :
April: 2–2–1 (Home: 1–1–0; Road: 1–1–1)
GameDateOpponentScoreLocation/attendanceDecisionRecordRecap
78April 1Carolina Hurricanes4 – 3 (SO)Scotiabank Place (19,152)Elliott43-30-5
79April 3@ New York Islanders1 – 4Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (11,942)Elliott43-31-5
80April 6@ Florida Panthers5 – 2BankAtlantic Center (11,790)Leclaire44-31-5
81April 8@ Tampa Bay Lightning3 – 4 (SO)St. Pete Times Forum (15,876)Elliott44-31-6
82April 10Buffalo Sabres2 – 5Scotiabank Place (20,500)Leclaire44–32–6 :
2009–10 Schedule :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Playoffs

After failing to qualify in 2008–09, the Senators clinched a spot in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 1, 2010 with a 4-3 shootout win at home against the Carolina Hurricanes. Previous media predictions of where the Senators would end up ranged from fourth in the conference to out of the playoffs. The Hockey News had placed the Senators ninth in the conference, while ESPN's John Buccigross predicted the Senators would end up in eleventh. Las Vegas odds had put the odds of the Senators winning the Cup at 35–1.
The Senators drew the defending champion Penguins as first-round opponents for the third time in the past four years. After the Senators won the first game in Pittsburgh, the Penguins took the next three to take a commanding 3–1 lead in the series. The Senators won the fifth game in triple overtime to force a sixth game in Ottawa. In the sixth game, the Senators took a 3–0 lead before the Penguins rallied to win the deciding game 4–3 in overtime to end the Senators season.
Senators vs. Penguins
GameDateScoreLocation (attendance)DecisionRecordRecap
1April 145 – 4Mellon Arena (17,132)Elliott1–0
2April 161 – 2Mellon Arena (17,132)Elliott1–1
3April 182 – 4Scotiabank Place (20,119)Elliott1–2
4April 204 – 7Scotiabank Place (20,014)Leclaire1–3
5April 224 – 3 (3OT)Mellon Arena (17,132)Leclaire2–3
6April 243 – 4 (1OT)Scotiabank Place (20,122)Leclaire2–4 :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Daniel Alfredsson | 70 | 20 | 51 | 71 | 8 | 22 |
| Jason Spezza | 60 | 23 | 34 | 57 | -1 | 20 |
| Mike Fisher | 79 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 1 | 59 |
| Alexei Kovalev | 77 | 18 | 31 | 49 | -8 | 54 |
| Milan Michalek | 66 | 22 | 12 | 34 | -12 | 18 |
| Chris Kelly | 81 | 15 | 17 | 32 | -7 | 38 |
| Peter Regin | 75 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 10 | 20 |
| Filip Kuba | 53 | 3 | 25 | 28 | -5 | 28 |
| Jarkko Ruutu | 82 | 12 | 14 | 26 | -2 | 121 |
| Nick Foligno | 61 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 6 | 53 |
| Erik Karlsson | 60 | 5 | 21 | 26 | -5 | 24 |
| Chris Phillips | 82 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 8 | 45 |
| Chris Neil | 68 | 10 | 12 | 22 | -1 | 175 |
| Chris Campoli | 67 | 4 | 14 | 18 | -3 | 16 |
| Ryan Shannon | 66 | 5 | 11 | 16 | -12 | 20 |
| Alexandre Picard$^‡$ | 45 | 4 | 11 | 15 | -2 | 20 |
| Jonathan Cheechoo | 61 | 5 | 9 | 14 | -13 | 20 |
| Anton Volchenkov | 64 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 38 |
| Jesse Winchester | 52 | 2 | 11 | 13 | -1 | 22 |
| Matt Carkner | 81 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 0 | 190 |
| Matt Cullen$^†$ | 21 | 4 | 4 | 8 | -7 | 8 |
| Shean Donovan | 30 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -4 | 40 |
| Brian Lee | 23 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 12 |
| Zack Smith | 15 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 14 |
| Andy Sutton$^†$ | 18 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -7 | 34 |
| Martin St. Pierre | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
| Josh Hennessy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Ryan Keller | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Kaspars Daugavins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derek Smith | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 |
| Jared Cowen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bobby Butler | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Matt Cullen | 6 | 3 | 5 | 8 | -3 | 0 |
| Daniel Alfredsson | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 2 |
| Jason Spezza | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | -3 | 4 |
| Chris Kelly | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Erik Karlsson | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -4 | 4 |
| Mike Fisher | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 | 6 |
| Chris Neil | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 20 |
| Peter Regin | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -1 | 6 |
| Jarkko Ruutu | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 34 |
| Anton Volchenkov | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 4 |
| Chris Campoli | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Matt Carkner | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Nick Foligno | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 |
| Milan Michalek | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jonathan Cheechoo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Shannon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chris Phillips | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 4 |
| Andy Sutton | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 8 |
| Zack Smith | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 5 |
| Jesse Winchester | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 0 |
| Shean Donovan | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | OTL | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Brian Elliott | 55 | 3038 | 29 | 18 | 4 | 130 | 2.57 | 1424 | .909 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Pascal Leclaire | 34 | 1745 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 93 | 3.20 | 822 | .887 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Mike Brodeur | 3 | 180 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1.00 | 87 | .966 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | GA | GAA | SA | Sv% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Pascal Leclaire | 3 | 211 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 2.84 | 125 | .920 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Elliott | 4 | 203 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 4.14 | 95 | .853 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Senators. Stats reflect time with Senators only. $^‡$Traded mid-season.
    Pos = Position; GPI = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals
    Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

## Awards and records
### Milestones

| Date | Player | Milestone |
| October 3, 2009 | Erik Karlsson | First NHL game First NHL assist First NHL point |
| October 8, 2009 | Matt Carkner | First NHL goal |
| October 8, 2009 | Jarkko Ruutu | 500th NHL game |
| October 12, 2009 | Chris Neil | 1,300th NHL PIM |
| October 15, 2009 | Milan Michalek | First NHL career hat trick |
| November 5, 2009 | Pascal Leclaire | 50th NHL win |
| November 7, 2009 | Jarkko Ruutu | 900th NHL PIM |
| November 7, 2009 | Chris Campoli | 100th NHL point |
| November 7, 2009 | Jarkko Ruutu | 900th NHL PIM |
| November 19, 2009 | Milan Michalek | 100th NHL goal |
| November 19, 2009 | Chris Phillips | 800th NHL game |
| November 19, 2009 | Alexandre Picard | 50th NHL point 50th NHL PIM |
| November 21, 2009 | Chris Kelly | 50th NHL goal |
| November 25, 2009 | Ryan Keller | First NHL game |
| November 26, 2009 | Chris Kelly | 200th NHL PIM |
| November 28, 2009 | Nick Foligno | 50th NHL point |
| December 3, 2009 | Chris Phillips | 600th NHL PIM |
| December 12, 2009 | Alex Kovalev | 400th NHL goal |
| December 14, 2009 | Filip Kuba | 200th NHL assist |
| December 14, 2009 | Brian Elliott | 50th NHL game |
| December 19, 2009 | Mike Fisher | 300th NHL point |
| December 19, 2009 | Jonathan Cheechoo | 300th NHL point |
| December 19, 2009 | Jarkko Ruutu | 50th NHL goal |
| December 19, 2009 | Erik Karlsson | First NHL goal |
| December 19, 2009 | Mike Brodeur | First NHL game First NHL start First NHL win |
| January 5, 2010 | Milan Michalek | 200th NHL PIM |
| January 12, 2010 | Shean Donovan | 700th NHL PIM |
| January 14, 2010 | Mike Brodeur | First NHL shutout |
| January 26, 2010 | Chris Campoli | 300th NHL game |
| February 9, 2010 | Jonathan Cheechoo | 500th NHL game |
| February 11, 2010 | Mike Fisher | 600th NHL game |
| February 13, 2010 | Derek Smith | First NHL game |
| March 4, 2010 | Daniel Alfredsson | 600th NHL assist |
| March 27, 2010 | Chris Kelly | 400th NHL game |
| April 1, 2010 | Bobby Butler | First NHL game |
| April 6, 2010 | Daniel Alfredsson | 1,000th NHL game |
| Date | Coach | Milestone |
| March 6, 2010 | Cory Clouston | 100th NHL game |
| Date | Team | Milestone |
| November 17, 2009 | Ottawa Senators | 1,300th NHL game |
| March 22, 2010 | Ottawa Senators | 600th NHL win |

### Awards

Regular season :
| Player | Award | Date |
| Mike Fisher | NHL Third Star of the Week | November 23, 2009 |
| Brian Elliott | NHL First Star of the Week | January 25, 2010 |
| Brian Elliott | NHL Second Star of the Week | February 1, 2010 |
| Brian Elliott | NHL First Star of the Week | March 29, 2010 |

### Records

* January 14, 2010 – February 4, 2010: Eleven-game win streak, modern franchise record.
* April 22, 2010: Senators defeat Penguins in triple overtime on a goal by Matt Carkner at 7:06, ending the longest game in modern franchise history.

## Transactions

The Senators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2009–10 season.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 27, 2009 | To Edmonton Oilers 6th-round pick in 2010 | To Ottawa Senators 7th-round pick (191st overall) in 2009 |
| July 8, 2009 | To Dallas Stars Alex Auld | To Ottawa Senators 6th-round pick in 2010 |
| September 4, 2009 | To Anaheim DucksShawn Weller | To Ottawa SenatorsJason Bailey |
| September 12, 2009 | To San Jose SharksDany Heatley 5th-round pick in 2010 | To Ottawa SenatorsJonathan Cheechoo Milan Michalek 2nd-round pick in 2010 |
| February 12, 2010 | To Carolina HurricanesAlexandre Picard 2nd-round pick in 2010 | To Ottawa SenatorsMatt Cullen |
| March 2, 2010 | To New York Islanders2nd-round pick in 2010 | To Ottawa SenatorsAndy Sutton |
Lost via retirement
Player
Jason Smith
Player signings
PlayerContract terms
Erik Condraundisclosed
Erik Karlssonthree years
Chris Neilfour years, $8 million
Derek Smithone year, two-way contract
Jeremy Yablonskione year, two-way contract
Brian Elliotttwo years, $1.7 million
Matt Carknertwo years, $1.4 million contract extension
Jared Cowenentry-level contract
Ryan Shannonone year, $625,000 contract extension
Brian Leetwo years, $1.75 million contract extension
Robin Lehner3 year entry-level contract
Eric Gryba2 year entry-level contract
Patrick Wiercioch3 year entry-level contract :

## Draft picks

The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal on June 26–27, 2009. Ottawa made the following picks:
| Round | Overall pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College/junior/club team (League) |
| 1 | 9 | Jared Cowen | D | Canada | Spokane Chiefs (WHL) |
| 2 | 39 | Jakob Silfverberg | RW/LW | Sweden | Brynas IF (Sweden Junior) |
| 2 | 46 (from Columbus) | Robin Lehner | G | Sweden | Frolunda HC (Sweden Junior) |
| 4 | 100 | Chris Wideman | D | United States | Miami University (CCHA) |
| 5 | 130 | Mike Hoffman | C/LW | Canada | Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 146 (from Boston via Phoenix) | Jeff Costello | LW | United States | Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL) |
| 6 | 160 | Corey Cowick | LW | Canada | Ottawa 67's (OHL) |
| 7 | 190 | Brad Peltz | LW | United States | Avon Old Farms (USHS-CT) |
| 7 | 191 (from Edmonton) | Michael Sdao | D | United States | Lincoln Stars (USHL) |

## Farm teams

* Binghamton Senators (American Hockey League) Don Nachbaur was hired as the new head coach of Binghamton on July 17.
* Elmira Jackals (ECHL)