The Ottawa Senators are in the middle of a leadership shift, and Brady Tkachuk’s departure has put Tim Stützle squarely in the spotlight.
Tkachuk’s exit created a hole in the captaincy, but it also left Ottawa searching for the next player to anchor the room. Chatter aside, he was a meaningful presence in the locker room, and now the Senators have to decide who takes over that role.
Claude Giroux has been floated as a veteran option for the “C,” and the case is easy to understand. The 38-year-old would be a solid choice.
The issue is his contract. He’s only signed for one more season, and that makes him a less natural fit than someone who figures to be around much longer.
That’s where Stützle comes in.
At 24, he’s already been Ottawa’s best player for the past couple of seasons. He’s been the team’s on-ice leader and played a major part in the Senators’ back-to-back playoff appearances. If the organization wants to hand the captaincy to the player most clearly tied to its present and future, Stützle is the obvious name.
His contract only strengthens that argument. Stützle is under team control for five more seasons, and when that deal expires he’ll be 29. If Ottawa is still a competitive team at that point, it would not be surprising to see the club commit to him again on another long-term contract.
In that sense, giving him the captaincy would be more than a symbolic move. It would be Ottawa making it clear that this is Stützle’s team, something fans already seem to understand.
Jake Sanderson also has a case, and that argument will come later. But right now, Stützle stands at the front of the line.
There’s also no need for the Senators to rush. I’ve also said they should play without a captain next season, and waiting until after training camp to make anything official could make sense. For now, the safest approach may be to move carefully and let the decision develop on its own timeline.
In Other News...
Senators Still Have One Major Problem Up Front This Summer
Ottawa entered the summer with Steve Staios making it clear he did not want the roster to take a step back, but the early look at the lineup suggests that is exactly the concern hanging over the Senators. The Brady Tkachuk departure left a hole that has not been fully filled, even after the club added William Eklund and a package of draft picks in the trade, and the front office has at least tried to steady things by bringing Claude Giroux back for leadership and depth.
Still, the bigger issue is up front, where Ottawa looks short on the kind of top-six help that can keep the group from feeling thinner than it did a year ago. Cap constraints are part of the problem, and the Senators also have a major decision looming with Drake Batherson as he moves toward unrestricted free agency, leaving the club with one more pressing question than answers as the offseason moves along. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Have A Fascinating Buy Low Swing To Consider
Seattles reset has opened a door the Senators can at least look through, and Shane Wright is the kind of name that makes the conversation interesting. Once seen as one of the premier young talents in his draft class, the former fourth overall pick has not found his footing with the Kraken, and Ottawas front office has a long history of weighing upside when the price makes sense.
For the Senators, the appeal is obvious: a young center with pedigree, still early enough in his career to be shaped by a new environment, and available at a moment when Seattles direction is changing. The question now is whether Ottawa sees enough of the old promise to make a move, and if so, how aggressively it wants to chase a player whose next stop could say plenty about both teams plans. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Took An Intriguing Step With Xavier Bourgault
The Senators have locked in another young forward for the coming season, agreeing to a one-year, two-way deal with Xavier Bourgault that carries an NHL salary of $850,000 and a minor-league salary of $265,000. The move gives Ottawa a bit more clarity around a player who has been on the organizations radar for his development path, and it comes after Bourgaults camp had already filed for arbitration.
Bourgault, a 2021 first-round pick by the Edmonton Oilers, also got a brief look in the NHL this season while continuing to turn heads in the AHL. For Ottawa, the contract keeps a promising forward in the fold on manageable terms, but it also leaves the bigger question of how quickly he can turn that momentum into a more permanent role at the top level. [Read more 🡒]