One of the consequences of the Brady Tkachuk trade was the immediate vacancy of the Ottawa Senators captaincy. Last year’s alternates, Claude Giroux and Thomas Chabot, could be solid options to take over immediately.
But anointing them might not be so easy.
That’s why the team should consider going without a captain, at least in the early going.
Mainly, veterans like Giroux and Chabot are not quite so certain. Giroux might only sign for one more season, if he even signs. The organization might want a little more certainty than just one season.
Chabot would make a little more sense. However, he’s under contract for two more seasons. So, the organization might not want to name him captain only to see him leave two years later.
So, is that really the direction the Senators want to go?
Wouldn’t the organization rather have someone like Tim Stutzle or Jake Sanderson take over that role?
From a marketing perspective, it would make more sense to anoint either one. But from a practical point of view, it might make more sense to let a veteran like Chabot be the guy the hold the fort. That would only be until his contract runs out, and Stutzle or Sanderson are truly the heart and soul of this core.
But there’s another layer of subtext to this discussion.
Senators are a team in transition
The Senators are a team in transition. It’s not so much that they are rebuilding or anything. The Sens should be playoff contenders again this season. But it’s the departure of Tkachuk that has forced the club to transition from one leader to another.
Say what you will about Tkachuk’s tenure as captain. The reality is that Tkachuk’s departure has forced the team to shift away from one persona to another. Yes, the ethos and esprit de corps should remain intact. But it’s the outward persona that will change.
And it won’t be until someone steps up and fills the power vacuum that the new captain becomes apparent.
If that someone happens to be Stutzle, Sanderson, Chabot, or even Nick Pinto or Dylan Cozens, the club needs one core member to truly emerge as the unquestioned guy willing to take the lead and run with it.
That player may become apparent in training camp. It might take a bit longer. But when it happens, the organization, the fans, and the media will know it beyond the shadow of a doubt.
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