3 Top Candidates Named To Replace Tkachuk As Senators New Captain

After the shocking (though not so shocking) trade of Brady Tkachuk earlier this offseason, the Ottawa Senators now have a vacancy at captain. Some of the possibilities might seem obvious, but insider Bruce Garrioch confirmed in the Ottawa Citizen many of our suspicions by naming the top three candidates to have the 'C' sewn on their jersey. 

Defenceman Thomas Chabot is a top candidate to be named the next captain, along with blueliner Jake Sanderson. (Tim) Stutzle’s name has also surfaced as a possibility.

Chabot has so many of the characteristics that a captain possesses. He plays a key role as a top blueliner on the team logging heavy minutes every single game and every single season; he has provided leadership abilities as an alternate captain for the past six years; and he displayed his incredible fortitude and mental and physical toughness this past season when he made a shocking return to the lineup as the playoffs approached, just 17 days after breaking his right forearm, beating his initial 4-to-8-week recovery timeline. 

Chabot, Sanderson & Stutzle on short list of next Senators captain

The only mark that could potentially work against Chabot is the fact that he has only two seasons remaining on his eight-year, $64 million deal ($8M AAV). 

Sanderson is five years younger, is arguably a Top 10 defenseman in the league (has finished 10th in Norris Trophy balloting two consecutive seasons), and is signed for another six years. 

Stutzle is also locked into a long-term contract (for 5 more years) and is another core player for the Senators. He is 24, like Sanderson, and he has openly voiced a deep, dedicated commitment to Ottawa. “I think everybody who is there right now loves being in Ottawa, loves playing for the Sens," Stutzle said this month. 

Plenty of good candidates; a decision should come within the next month.