The Ottawa Senators are facing a rare kind of decision after the Brady Tkachuk trade: who, if anyone, should wear the “C” next season.
Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot were last year’s alternates, and on paper both make sense as the next captain. But the case for naming one of them right away isn’t as clean as it looks.
Giroux brings experience, but his future is still unsettled. He might only sign for one more season, if he signs at all. That kind of uncertainty makes him a shaky choice for a long-term leadership job.
Chabot is easier to picture in the role, but he has two seasons left on his contract. That creates a different problem: the Senators could end up handing him the captaincy only to watch him move on a couple of years later.
That’s why the safer move might be to start the season without a captain and let the room sort itself out.
There’s also a bigger question underneath all of this. Would the Senators rather see Tim Stutzle or Jake Sanderson grow into that role instead?
From a marketing standpoint, either one would be an obvious fit. From a practical standpoint, though, it could make more sense to let a veteran like Chabot carry things for now until Stutzle or Sanderson truly become the center of this core.
The broader reality is that Ottawa is in transition. Not a rebuild, exactly - this is still a team that should be back in the playoff mix this season. But Tkachuk’s departure has changed the face of the leadership group, and that means the organization is moving from one era to the next.
However you feel about Tkachuk’s time as captain, his exit has created a shift in the team’s identity. The attitude and togetherness can stay the same, but the public face of the club is about to change.
And until one player clearly rises above the rest, the captaincy will remain open.
That player could be Stutzle, Sanderson, Chabot, or even Nick Pinto or Dylan Cozens. Someone in that group has to emerge as the unmistakable leader, the one willing to grab the wheel and drive.
Maybe that becomes obvious in training camp. Maybe it takes longer. Either way, once it happens, everyone around the Senators will know it.
In Other News...
Former Senators Goalie Prospect Is Getting Another NHL Chance
The Lightning kept building out their organizational depth in goal, signing Mads Sogaard, Olivier Rodrigue and defenseman Michael Callahan to one-year, two-way contracts. For Senators fans, Sogaard is the name that jumps out, since the big goaltender was once part of Ottawas pipeline and had become one of the more recognizable young netminders in the system before moving on to his next opportunity.
Sogaards path has been uneven enough to make this a noteworthy fresh start, with his most recent work split between Ottawa and Belleville. Tampa Bay is giving him another chance to push back toward the NHL picture, and the one-year, two-way setup suggests the Lightning want competition and insurance at the position while they sort out how all the pieces fit. [Read more 🡒]
Another Former Senator Is Following Brady Tkachuk To Florida
Another former Senator is heading to South Florida, with Lars Eller agreeing to a one-year deal with the Panthers in free agency and setting up a reunion with Brady Tkachuk. Ellers stint in Ottawa was a short one, but he brought veteran depth and a steady presence before moving on, and now he joins a Florida group that has been busy adding familiar names from the Senators recent roster.
Donovan Sebrango also landed a one-year contract with the Panthers after reaching free agency, giving Florida another Ottawa connection after he was previously claimed off waivers from the Senators. The Panthers have also brought in former Senator Boko Imama, making the pipeline from Ottawa to Florida even more noticeable as the two teams continue to cross paths in the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Claude Giroux Decision Could Change Everything For The Senators
The first day of NHL free agency brought plenty of movement around the league, but Claude Giroux was still sitting there as one of the biggest names left unsigned. For Ottawa, that matters because the market is already thinning around the kind of experienced forwards teams lean on when the money gets tight and the options get fewer.
Girouxs next step is shaping up to be one of the more important decisions of the summer for the Senators, especially with so many teams still sorting through their budgets and their depth charts. Ottawa has work to do in a market where scoring help is still available, but the longer this drags on, the more this becomes about where Giroux sees himself fitting for what could come next. [Read more 🡒]