Brad Marchand didn’t exactly keep his thoughts to himself when the Ottawa Senators’ captaincy debate came up.
An Instagram post from “Puckempire” had highlighted the Ottawa Citizen’s report that the Senators are narrowing in on their next captain, with Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle listed as the three finalists. That was enough to draw a reaction from the Florida Panthers winger on Monday night, and he went straight at Stutzle.
“Hahahah ……stutzle….hahaha,” Marchand responded from his own Instagram account.
Whether Marchand has a real gripe with Stutzle or just felt like stirring the pot, his opinion won’t have any say in what Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, and head coach Travis Green ultimately decide.
Marchand, now 38, will be skating alongside Brady Tkachuk in Florida after being dealt to the Panthers on June 21 in exchange for four draft picks. The two have spent plenty of time together over the years.
Stutzle, 24, has built a case for a bigger leadership role with the Senators and has sharpened his game at both ends of the ice. He wore an alternate “A” at times last season, and while there’s room to argue whether he should get the captaincy, Marchand’s public shot at him stood out.
That kind of edge is nothing new for Marchand, a Nova Scotia native who trains in the summer near Halifax with Ottawa winger Drake Batherson, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.
The next captain will be the 10th in Senators history. The Ottawa Citizen reported that Sanderson is viewed as the frontrunner, while Chabot, the team’s longest-serving player, also deserves serious consideration for the role. Former Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher once called Stutzle “a diver” in his first year in the league, but that label no longer applies.
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Marchand Just Gave The Senators A Leadership Test They Cannot Ignore
Brad Marchands mocking Instagram comment about Tim Stutzle being a finalist for the Ottawa Senators captaincy has quickly become more than a social-media jab. Toronto sports host Sid Seixeiro called the post highly disrespectful and turned the moment into a broader challenge for Ottawa, framing it as a chance for the Senators to show where their loyalty and backbone really stand when they face the Boston Bruins in upcoming games.
The reaction only gets trickier because the old and new edges of this story keep intersecting around Marchand. Brady Tkachuk, who was recently traded to the Florida Panthers, also voiced excitement about joining him, adding another layer to the way Marchand still looms over the league. For the Senators, the issue is no longer just what was said online, but whether the room answers it in a way that protects Stutzle and sends a message of its own. [Read more 🡒]
Former 67s Tragedy And A Familiar Sens Nerve Get Hit Again
Matthew Mayichs collapse during a training session in extreme heat has sent another jolt through the world of former 67s, a reminder of how quickly a routine summer workout can turn serious. Arizona State Universitys investigation is still ongoing, and the situation has drawn attention far beyond the prospect pipeline, with the hockey community waiting on clarity while his former junior roots in Ottawa add another layer of concern.
The concern lands at a time when the Blues are making other notable news, naming Robert Thomas as their new captain after moving on from Brayden Schenn. And with the NHL also set to team with Amazon to stream home games for six U.S. clubs next season, including St. Louis, the Blues keep finding themselves in the spotlight for reasons both on and off the ice, even as one of their prospects remains at the center of a far more urgent story. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face One Huge Test After The Brady Tkachuk Trade
This summer has left Ottawa looking and feeling different, with Brady Tkachuk gone and the organization trying to remake its identity around a more disciplined, defensively responsible approach under Travis Green. The Senators are not pretending the transition is small. Losing the captain and Lars Eller changes the tone of the roster, but the club is still trying to keep itself in the playoff conversation while adjusting to a style that asks for more structure and less chaos.
William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky are among the new faces expected to help make that shift work, giving Ottawa a chance to blend skill into the new framework. The bigger question is whether the Senators can absorb so much turnover without losing the edge that made them hard to play against, because this season looks like a test of how quickly a team can change its personality and still win enough games to matter. [Read more 🡒]