Has Tim Stutzle become an NHL superstar?

The Ottawa Senators are in the playoff hunt around the holiday break for what feels like the first time in forever… or at least since their last playoff appearance. They currently hold the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with an 18-14-2 record, and had won six in a row before their loss to the Edmonton Oilers last Sunday.

A big reason for that has been the resurgence of Tim Stutzle. Through 34 games, he has 11 goals and 28 assists for 39 points, and is on pace to beat his previous career high of 90 points set in 2022-23. He’s also tied for 19th in scoring with Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel and Sidney Crosby, and is also tied for 14th in assists with Leon Draisaitl.

Jason York joined Daily Faceoff Live on Monday for their All 32 segment to talk about the Senators and the whether or not Tim Stutzle has taken the next step to stardom.

Jason York: This is, to me, what I classify a superstar as: Can you bring fans out of their seats? Are you worth the price of admission? How many guys are really worth the price of admission like “wow”?

I watch this guy, and he does things that amaze me. I’ll put Tim Stutzle in that category. I really would because when people see him for the first time, and I had my kids at a game, they hadn’t seen him play in a long time. They played high-level hockey, they played university hockey. They couldn’t keep their eyes off him, because he holds onto pucks, he makes guys around him better, and he has that ability to beat guys one-on-one.

So I think the way he’s playing right now, I have no problem with putting him in that category. No problem.

You can watch the full episode here…