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Bobby Ryan Will Be the Next Captain of the Ottawa Senators

By Hunter Eitel

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 16: Wearing a green St. Patrick's Day jersey, Bobby Ryan #9 of the Ottawa Senators high-fives fans as he leaves the ice after warmup prior to a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre on March 16, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 16: Wearing a green St. Patrick's Day jersey, Bobby Ryan #9 of the Ottawa Senators high-fives fans as he leaves the ice after warmup prior to a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Canadian Tire Centre on March 16, 2019 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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If the Ottawa Senators want to start a new era for their team, naming a new captain would be a great start.

It has now been 189 days (Or 27 weeks. Or 4,536 hours. Or 272,160 minutes. Or 16,329,600 seconds) since the Ottawa Senators had a team captain.

Yes the Senators have yet to name Erik Karlsson’s successor and have been rolling with three alternate captains this season. Several players have worn the “A” (Mark Stone, Matt Duchene and Mark Borowiecki are just a few) but there is one player that should have the “C” on his jersey soon.

Bobby Ryan, currently the only player the Sens will have under contract for the 2021-22 season, has been a Senator since 2013 and exhibits all of the qualities the team needs in their next team captain.

Put The “C” On #9

Traded to the Senators in 2013, Ryan has dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years, but he has always found his way back onto the ice and performed where he is needed. Ryan has played in 423 games for the Ottawa Senators, averaging 16:36 TOI in those games. He has 254 points (100 goals, 154 assists) and has proven himself to be a tenacious and physical presence on the ice (He has recorded over 100 hits in four of his seasons with the Sens).

The 32-year old also isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. After this season he has three years left on a seven-year, $50.75 million contract he signed in October of 2014. The contract has a modified NTC (Ryan would submit a 10 team no trade list) and is the highest cap hit on the Sens ($7.25 million). He is certainly getting paid like a captain, so why not make it official.

Some may call for Mark Borowiecki to take the “C”, as he’s been with the Sens his whole career and has been a stable presence this season through trying times. But Borowiecki only has a year left on his contract, so unless the Sens extend him, he may not be a Senator after next season. Ryan provides stability and won’t carry the stigma of “Will he re-sign or not?” during his captaincy.

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Bobby Ryan being made the captain of the Ottawa Senators makes statistical and practical sense. He may not have the scoring track record befitting a captain, but he is still putting up points and will be apart of the team for the critical years of this upcoming rebuild. Putting the “C” on him makes the most sense and hopefully management will agree with that sentiment.

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