The Ottawa Senators will not rush into the “important decision” of naming a new captain to replace Brady Tkachuk, according to the general manager. The players gathered at Rideau View Golf Club on Tuesday for the annual Senators Charity Open, the first official event for the club for the 2026-27 season. Senators general manager Steve Staois told reporters the club continues to discuss who will be the Senators’ next captain. “I don’t think that’s anything that we want to rush into. It’s an important decision,” Staois told reporters. “Yet, when I look at our group and the potential players that could be our next captain here for the Ottawa Senators, it just comes naturally to all these players that we’re talking about.” Staois said the Senators have not put a timeline on making a decision. “We’re very lucky that we have a number of players that can be our next captain,” Staois said. Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers in June after requesting a trade from the Senators. Several players have been mentioned as the next captain of the club, including Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson and Tim Stutzle. “It’s a huge honour, and obviously, feels good to see that people recognize it quite a lot,” Chabot said. “I’ve always been the same kind of guy around the room. And I try to be the best teammate I can be and be fun to be around every single day. And, obviously, whatever happens, happens. I’m just more excited for the group that we have coming into this year, and the same kind of guys that are still around that that are here. It’s going to be a fun year.” Chabot is the longest-serving member of the Ottawa Senators and was an assistant captain last season. He admits it was “not fun” for the players that Tkachuk asked for a trade. “If you don’t want to be here and you want to be somewhere else, then we’d rather it happen that way,” Chabot said. “And, obviously, I don’t hold anything against him. We talked on the phone this summer when everything kind of went down. I wish him the best of luck for his future, the rest of his career. He’s a hell of a guy and a hell of a teammate.” Chabot told reporters he felt slighted when he heard of the trade request. “You want guys to be here. You want guys to want to be part of this team and part of this city,” Chabot said. “So, when you see something like that, obviously I’d be lying if I said I was happy when he decided to leave. No, that’s not true. He’s a heck of a hockey player, and you want guys to stick around. We felt like we’re on the verge of kind of starting to make playoffs and building something.” Forward Drake Batherson told reporters there are several worthy candidates for captain in the locker-room. “No matter who they choose, he’s going to be a great captain,” Batherson said. The Ottawa Senators first exhibition game is Sept. 21 against Montreal. The Senators open the regular season on October 3 in Toronto.
