3 Candidates to Be the Senators’ Next Captain

It’s been nearly two weeks since the Ottawa Senators traded their now-former captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers, marking the end of his tenure with the club after eight seasons. What the Senators did with the recent return was fantastic, flipping the ninth overall pick for William Eklund from the San Jose Sharks and selecting Jonas Lagerberg Hoen with the 25th pick at the draft last week. 

Aside from the club’s quiet free agency and announcing their ‘special promotion’ for their former captain, now it’s time to consider another question: who is the next leader of the club going to be? From stars to veterans to long-tenured players, the Sens have three particular candidates worthy of dawning the ‘C,’ but it’s all a matter of which of them has the best qualities both on and off the ice. 

Jake Sanderson

He is probably not the most likely candidate to be considered for such a big role, but Jake Sanderson’s emergence as a top-gun defenceman since joining the Senators in the 2022/23 season makes an impressive case for him. To date, Sanderson has tallied the fifth-most points amongst all Senators’ blueliners in club history with 181. Some might say he is ‘too young’ or ‘too irresponsible’ to handle the responsibility, but he has already skated in 303 games with Ottawa.

It might feel like just yesterday when the Sens selected him fifth overall in the 2020 Draft. Still, Sanderson has turned into what the club was hoping for at just 23 years old, a modern two-way defender who can move the puck with speed and can accept defensive responsibilities. On-ice awareness is Sanderson’s main strength; specifically knowing when to pinch or jump into the rush is what makes his maturity level stand out amongst most top defencemen in the league. 

Passing off more instead of shooting from the point might not make him too trustworthy to quarterback a power play yet. Still, every other asset that Sanderson has to his game, like speed and a solid defensive stick, are what make him reliable just about anywhere else. These are the reasons he has averaged roughly 24 minutes of ice time to lead Ottawa for the past three seasons and why he was signed to a $64.4 million contract in September 2023. These reasons also make him seem calm, cool and collected to everyone else playing with him. 

Especially as a d-man, there is nothing better than organization-wide trust, and Sanderson has earned plenty of that in his first four years in the league. The time will come for him eventually, maybe even sooner rather than later, after his notable accomplishments like winning a gold medal with the United States in last year’s Winter Olympics or being a Lady Byng Trophy finalist last season.

Tim Stutzle

Even with his spirit on and off the ice, Tkachuk was never the best consistent forward on the Senators – Tim Stutzle was. He has hit 70-plus points in his last four seasons, leading the club in scoring for three of them. In just 447 games, Stutzle, Ottawa’s third overall draft choice from 2020, has already become the fifth-highest scoring Senator in club history at 409 points. 

Tkachuk has 54 more points than him, but in 125 more games, showcasing the difference in their playing styles. While Tkachuk was the power forward that would try and make too much happen, Stutzle has the patience of a legitimate playmaker, waiting for his lanes to open up and creating separation. 

It’s not always about the big hits or fights to motivate a bench mid-game. Someone with patience and waiting for the game to come to them is a fine example of confidence and poise, and that can go a long way when it comes to teammate trust. Stutzle has both of these, and they have only gotten better with time.

Now, whether he keeps up that offensive production without Tkachuk is to be determined, but Stutzle has also been much more effective on the other side of the puck, making him a more well-rounded player. In his last five seasons, he has recorded 100-plus hits, proving he is also hungry in all areas on the ice, and has only bettered his defensive awareness year-by-year. 

These details aren’t only the keys to gaining a coaches’ trust, but they send a message to others to do the same in order to get better at their games as well. Both talent-wise and recently two-way-wise, Stutzle is the Sens’ best forward. He is also locked up for another five years, so it is only fair he deserves a shot at donning the ‘C.’

Thomas Chabot

As the franchise’s third-highest scoring defender with 335 points in 569 games, there is no doubt that Thomas Chabot should be leading the discussion to be the club’s next leader. Ottawa’s 18th overall selection from 2015 isn’t the loudest voice in the locker room, but Chabot leads with the right attitude, being the first one to show up, the last one to leave and working hard in games or practices, and by playing the way every veteran defenceman should.

Apart from Tkachuk, Chabot and Drake Batherson have been with the Sens the longest since their rebuild, and were each considered the building blocks to guide Ottawa back into contention. Now, only two of them remain, but what separates Chabot from Batherson in terms of a major leadership role is a complete game and setting standards on and off the ice (from ‘2026 Ottawa Senators Report Cards: Thomas Chabot,’ Silver Seven, June 11, 2026). 

He might not be considered the number one defenceman anymore, but Chabot, who will enter his tenth full season with the Senators come September, is arguably the most well-rounded leader when it comes to mentoring younger or new players and setting daily examples. Having been through the ups and downs since day one, he can provide stability and advise on difficult points of each season, whether he is healthy or not. 

He had a bit of a down year last season compared to the 45 points he put up with a plus-17 from 2024/25, so perhaps giving Chabot the captaincy puts a bit more pressure on him to perform on the ice. However, he is the leading choice off it with his veteran presence as one of the club veterans.

The easy choice is for the Senators to make Chabot their next captain, but that seems like the easy path to take. Another option could be waiting it out and seeing if one of these three seizes the opportunity either down the stretch in a playoff push, or in a clutch moment in the postseason. There are some interesting options for the Sens to consider, but the candidate has to stand out as a role model to many in the locker room – and want to commit to playing in Ottawa.