Senators have ‘no-brainer’ candidate for captain, analyst believes

One of the burning questions for the Ottawa Senators heading into the 2026-27 season will be their next captain.

While there is no rush to name one, one notable analyst believes the Sens should just “turn the page” on Brady Tkachuk and name a “no-brainer” candidate.

That candidate is Jake Sanderson.

During an appearance on NHL Network, analyst Mike Johnson stated that, while Tim Stutzle would be a fine candidate, he believes that Sanderson would be the best choice for the Senators capaincy.

“I think they name one. Brady is not irreplaceable. You’ve got to turn the page. And part of turning the page for Ottawa, getting a new captain… and I don’t think they should be afraid of naming another American-born captain; But I think Jake Sanders is the guy to be the captain.”

Well, there’s really no arguing with Johnson’s logic.

The former NHLer thinks that Stutzle should still wear an “A” while having some sort of free-wheeling responsibility.

But at the end of the day, the most committed player to winning in Ottawa is Sanderson. The 24-year-old has emerged as one of the NHL’s best defensemen while showing his desire to win in the Nation’s Capital.

And yes, there might remain some skepticism about naming another American-born player as captain. But let’s face it, Tkachuk did not turn out to be the person that we all once thought he was.

Sanderson, for his part, has not shown to have the same colors as Tkachuk.

Building an argument against Sanderson as Senators captain is tough

As much as I would like to build an argument against Sanderson, the fact is that it’s extremely hard to do so.

There is no real, apparent reason why Sanderson should not wear the “C” for the Senators.

Even if you wanted to point to his age, he’s certainly old enough, at least by pro athlete standards, to lead the team.

Perhaps you could argue that it might rub veterans like Claude Giroux the wrong way. But that would be trampling on Giroux’s persona as a team leader.

You might think that someone like Thomas Chabot should get the nod. He’d be a fine captain, too. But Chabot has two years left on his contract. And that uncertainty may actually work against him.

That’s why Sanderson, like Stutzle, checks off all the boxes.

But I will make one final point about Sanderson. Because he’s young and he’s going to be in Ottawa for the long haul, he makes the most sense as the next captain. He’s the sort of player the organization can continue building around.

Yes, the same can be said for Stutzle. But at the end of the day, Sanderson has truly emerged as a no-brainer for the Senators.

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