Tim Stützle is entering the 2026-27 NHL season with a realistic path to the first 90-point campaign of his career. My fantasy hockey projection has the Ottawa Senators centre finishing with 36 goals and 57 assists for 93 points in 81 games.
That forecast is aggressive, but it is not built on hype alone. Stützle produced 34 goals and 49 assists for 83 points in 80 games last season, a 1.04 points-per-game pace. He now enters his age-24 season with Ottawa expected to keep him at the centre of its offence, its transition game and its top power-play unit. The addition of William Eklund could be especially important because it gives Stützle another creative puck carrier capable of entering the zone with control and extending possession.
A projected power-play group featuring Stützle, Eklund, Dylan Cozens, Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson has the skill to create more east-west passing, cleaner one-timer opportunities and additional secondary assists. For fantasy managers, the takeaway is simple: Stützle already owns a strong point floor, but his ceiling is moving closer to 100.
Tim Stützle 2026-27 fantasy projection:
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | Points Per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 80 | 34 | 49 | 83 | 1.04 |
| 2026-27 projection | 81 | 36 | 57 | 93 | 1.15 |
Why Tim Stützle Could Reach 93 Points for the Ottawa Senators
Stützle does not need a complete transformation to reach 93 points. He needs only modest growth in a few important areas.
The first is his assist production. William Eklund’s arrival should reduce some of the pressure on Stützle to personally transport the puck through all three zones. Eklund is another skilled forward who can attack defenders, maintain possession and find teammates through traffic. That could allow Stützle to get into more dangerous areas instead of always initiating the play from higher in the offensive zone.
My expectation is that Stützle’s chemistry with Eklund will be particularly valuable on the power play. Jake Sanderson can distribute from the blue line, Dylan Cozens can operate as a shooting or bumper option and Drake Batherson can finish opportunities around the circles and net front. Stützle should remain the primary decision-maker, but Ottawa will have more ways to punish penalty-killing units that overcommit to him.
That is why I am projecting his assists to rise from 49 to 57.
His goal total may not increase as dramatically. Stützle converted 34 times last season, and fantasy managers should not automatically expect a jump into the mid-40s. However, his speed, release and ability to attack defenders one-on-one make another season in the 35-goal range reasonable.
A projection of 36 goals gives him credit for continued development without relying on an unsustainable shooting percentage.
There is also a workload advantage. Ottawa’s offence is still expected to run through Stützle in every meaningful situation. He should receive first-line minutes, top-unit power-play deployment and opportunities late in games when the Senators need a goal. Few NHL centres combine his role, skating ability and offensive creativity.
Fantasy Hockey Draft Value: How High Should You Select Tim Stützle?
Stützle should be treated as a legitimate early-round target in standard fantasy hockey leagues. His precise value will depend on league settings because his strongest categories are points, assists, power-play production and shots rather than penalty minutes or hits.
In points-only formats, I would be comfortable targeting Stützle as a high-end No. 1 fantasy centre. In category leagues, he becomes even more appealing when power-play points and shots carry significant weight.
My projected range is:
Fantasy floor: 82 points
Most likely outcome: 90 to 95 points
Fantasy ceiling: 100-plus points
The primary risk is that Ottawa’s new offensive pieces require time to develop chemistry. Adding another puck-dominant forward could initially spread touches around rather than immediately increasing Stützle’s production. Injuries and fluctuations in Ottawa’s power-play efficiency also need to be considered.
Still, my personal view is that Stützle is closer to a major fantasy breakout than a scoring regression. He has already demonstrated that he can produce above a point-per-game pace, and he will play the entire 2026-27 season at only 24 years old. This is usually the stage when elite offensive players begin turning strong seasons into consistently dominant ones.
Final Tim Stützle point projection for 2026-27: 36 goals, 57 assists and 93 points in 81 games.
Tim Stützle Career NHL Stats
| Type | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 447 | 149 | 260 | 409 | -58 |
| Playoffs | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | -3 |
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