The Ottawa Senators’ captaincy conversation has been circling the same familiar names all summer: Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle and even Claude Giroux. Any of those choices would make sense. Stutzle, in particular, has been viewed as a natural fit because of the role he already plays.
But there’s another name sitting right there in plain sight: Thomas Chabot.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen gave that possibility a real push in an August 21 piece, putting Chabot near the top of the list.
“Defenceman Thomas Chabot is a top candidate to be named the next captain, along with blueliner Jake Sanderson. Stutzle’s name has also surfaced as a possibility.”
Sanderson and Stutzle are hardly shocking mentions. Chabot shouldn’t be, either. Still, he’s not the first player many people bring up, and that feels like an oversight.
The 29-year-old has been a fixture for Ottawa over nine seasons, piling up 569 regular-season games and 335 points. Night after night, he’s been the kind of defenseman the Senators can lean on for 20-plus minutes without much drama.
There have been injury concerns along the way, sure. But his toughness has never really been in question.
Last season offered a perfect example: after breaking his arm in late March, he was expected to miss about eight weeks. Instead, he was back 17 days later and logged more than 21 minutes in a 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers that clinched a playoff spot.
If that doesn’t look like captain material, it’s hard to know what does.
There is, however, one possible hurdle. Chabot is heading into the seventh year of an eight-year contract, which puts him on track to become a UFA in 2028.
That doesn’t mean he’s headed anywhere. It just gives Ottawa something to think about while sorting out the next leader. The team could try to get a read on his desire to re-sign, and while he can’t officially extend until next summer, a handshake understanding could be enough to settle the matter.
If that kind of comfort is there, Chabot may well be the choice.
He also fits what the Senators need from a leadership standpoint. It’s easy to forget he’s only 29.
In hockey terms, that’s not ancient, and he still has plenty left in the tank. He’s old enough to have seen a lot, but young enough to grow alongside the next wave of Ottawa talent.
That makes him a useful bridge for a team with younger stars like Stutzle and Sanderson. He can set the tone while still being close enough in age to the core around him.
And with Chabot, the 18th overall pick in 2015, the Senators would be getting a player who still feels like he could be around for a long time. It would certainly be something to see him spend his whole career in Ottawa.
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