Captain or not, Jake Sanderson is helping shape the Ottawa Senators' future
The Ottawa Senators have yet to announce who will wear the ‘C’ this season, but there is a reason the club’s top defenceman is considered to be on the list of the top three candidates to be named the 10th captain in franchise history after Brady Tkachuk’s departure.
Whether there is a letter on his jersey or not when the dust has settled on the selection of a new captain by Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, and coach Travis Green, the 24-year-old Sanderson will help carry the Senators this season.
He is well aware that his name has been mentioned as one of the frontrunners for the job, along with veteran defenceman Thomas Chabot and top centre Tim Stutzle, and Sanderson admitted after Day 2 of training camp on Friday that he has given it some thought.
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And, if he’s given the honour by Staios and Green, Sanderson will be ready for the job.
“You never know what’s going to happen in the next few days or the next few weeks, but again, I just feel like it’s kind of credit to my teammates and coaches too,” Sanderson said. “We have such a tight group in there. Whoever it is, everyone will be super happy and proud of them.
Staios and Green contemplated a decision before camp got underway, but wanted to see the group together first.
Chabot, 29, who is heading into his tenth season with the club, is the easy choice and deserving of the honour, given everything that he has done for this organization on and off the ice.
But there is a pause because Chabot has only two years left on his contract , and who knows what the future holds. Sanderson is under contract until 2031, and Stutzle has a deal until 2030.
After signing an eight-year extension that runs until 2035, winger Drake Batherson has entered the mix as well. Many believe Sanderson is the front-runner, Chabot is a strong choice and Stutzle has matured enough to warrant consideration.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on ottawacitizen.com — the content belongs to Ottawa Citizen.
