Stutzle talks Senators aiming for playoffs in Q&A with NHL.com

In NHL.com's Q&A feature called "Sitting Down with …" we talk to key figures in the game, gaining insight into their lives on and off the ice. In this special offseason edition, we feature Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle.

PARIS --
Tim Stutzle
is ready and eager for the Ottawa Senators to take a big step this season.
"The expectations are high," the 20-year-old forward said.
In a span of eight days from July 7-14, the Senators acquired Alex DeBrincat in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, acquired goalie Cam Talbot in a trade with the Minnesota Wild, signed forward Claude Giroux as a free agent and signed forward Josh Norris to an eight-year, $63.6 million contract ($7.95 million average annual value).
"The moves we made, the signings we made with Josh for long-term committing to that time, the talk about the new rink downtown, everything, the expectations are high," Stutzle said. "We want to show the fans that we're a good team, a young team and we can really be a lot better than we played the last two years."
A Stanley Cup Playoff team for the first time since 2017?
Stutzle said yes.
"We want to be in the playoffs, and I think that's why we made the moves," Stutzle said. "We talked about that in the exit meetings too, that we have to make moves to be in the playoffs. They fully committed to that, so everyone is really happy to get back to Ottawa."
NHL.com caught up with Stutzle at the NHL European Player Media Tour on Wednesday. The forward, who had 58 points (22 goals, 36 assists) in 79 games last season, his second in the NHL, discussed the opportunity to play with DeBrincat and Giroux, and more.
It was at the 2022 NHL Draft where the Senators got Alex DeBrincat in a trade and coach D.J. Smith said he could see him playing with you. A few days later, the Senators sign Claude Giroux, and it's the same thing, the potential to play with you. All of a sudden, you might be the center on a line with a potential 50-goal scorer and a possible future Hall of Famer. What do you think?
"For sure I was super pumped to see those moves happen, but I think all the moves we made are really good. For sure it's sad to see some guys leave. We had [a] really nice team, a lot of fun together, but in the end I'm really happy about the moves we made. I can't wait to learn from guys like that. I am still super young and I think I can learn a lot from DeBrincat, Giroux, those guys. It's going to be a lot of fun playing with them and I can't wait to get going, see the guys and get to meet them."
To know you'll likely get the chance to play with DeBrincat and maybe Giroux too, have you had a chance to study their games or do you know their games well enough at this point?
"Always when I work out, we have conditioning for an hour. So we go on the bike for an hour. When we have a leg day, we have an easier ride on the bike so I can watch video, and I actually watched video of DeBrincat. It's crazy to see. He can score from everywhere. I think 30 of his (41) goals last year were primary-assisted by Patrick Kane. Just finding him all over the ice, trying to give him the puck as much as I can. He can score from everywhere. Sometimes he gets the puck, goes 1-on-1 on a guy, doesn't really have a shooting lane but shoots and scores. It's great to see some guys doing that in the League, and it's going to be a lot of fun playing with him."
Do you feel there is pressure in that job of being the guy who has to find the scorer and get him the puck?
"There is pressure for sure. All the time when you play with two really good players you have to perform. That's my goal. I want to be as good as I can and help them make plays. For me it's really important since I switched to the center position to get the puck more and try to skate the puck in more and make some plays in the [offensive] zone. So I can see that working out really good with those guys."
Do you like center more than wing?
"Yeah, I love it."
You made the transition from left wing to center last season. What was that like? How challenging? Biggest obstacles for you?
"So, everyone was always saying why D.J. didn't put me at center. We actually talked about it right from the start of the season and he asked me, 'What do you want, do you want to play center or wing?' I said, 'Maybe I would be more comfortable playing with two really good players and getting to learn from a guy who was playing center.' Then we had so many injuries so I had to play center. He asked me, 'Can you play center now?' Of course. I said, 'I'm ready for it.' Then I learned from guys like Josh Norris, younger players who had been playing center for a long time. It was just different, but in the end a really fun experience and I worked at it to get to where I am now."
How does it change who you are as an NHL player or your thought process going into training camp knowing you have had a successful NHL season, that you've proven it and you are a top player on the Senators, that it's not just hope and potential anymore?
"I wouldn't say it changes me as a person. I would just say that I really see myself being a top player on the team and the last 35 games, I really showed that. I wanted to be the best player on the team. I got hope from D.J. and he really trusted me in all situations. I played some penalty kill at the end of the season. We wanted to build a full player, not just a power-play guy or an offensive guy. I want to be the guy that could play when the team pulls the goalie, who was going to be on the ice to defend the lead. That's just how I want to be as a player. I never wanted to see myself as just a power-play guy who was terrible defensively. That was what a lot of people said about me because of my plus-minus. I wanted to change that and I think it helped me playing center. That was good for me."
You'll have a chance to build on what you did last season by playing with DeBrincat and maybe Giroux, but for you personally what do you think about where your game is, where it has come from and how you improve on what you did last season?
"So, I think in the beginning of last season points-wise it totally didn't work out. I think I didn't score (a goal) for the first [13] games. I don't think I played bad, it just didn't go in. So I am just trying to focus on everything more to get going the right way from the start. That's the most important thing for our team too. We always had a bad start the past two years and that doesn't help when you want to push for a playoff spot. I think when I play my best game that can really help us getting to the playoffs."