Thomas Chabot will wear the C for the Ottawa Senators when they open the 2026-27 regular season in Toronto on Saturday.
The Senators named the 29-year-old defenseman their captain Tuesday, four days before the club visits the Maple Leafs at 7 p.m. ET. Chabot succeeds Brady Tkachuk, who held the role for five seasons before Ottawa traded him to the Florida Panthers on June 21.
Claude Giroux, Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson will serve as alternate captains.
“It was a big surprise and a huge honor,” Chabot said. “I’m almost at a loss for words, which doesn’t happen often. I’m shaking right now. But we have a great group here, a close group, and I think we can go a long way this year. I’m really excited. It should be a fun year.”
Longest-serving Senator takes the room
Chabot is Ottawa’s longest-tenured player. The Senators selected him 18th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, and every one of his nine NHL seasons has been played in Ottawa.
He posted seven goals and 24 assists in 57 games last season, finishing with 31 points while averaging 22:35 per night. Only Sanderson logged more ice time for Ottawa during the regular season, at 24:50 per game.
Chabot’s workload climbed sharply in the playoffs. Although he did not record a point in Ottawa’s four-game Eastern Conference First Round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, he led all postseason skaters in average ice time at 31:07 per game.
Across 569 NHL regular-season games, Chabot has recorded 78 goals and 257 assists for 335 points. He has added one goal and three assists in 10 playoff appearances.
“Thomas represents what we want an Ottawa Senator to be,” general manager Steve Staios said. “He is devoted to the city and the organization, and he always puts the team ahead of himself.”
Season opener ahead
Ottawa begins its schedule Saturday against the Maple Leafs, with Sportsnet carrying the game on SNO and SNP.
With Chabot’s appointment, only three NHL clubs remain without a designated captain: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks.
