Senators 'going to have to find ways' to win without Tkachuk

OTTAWA -- The Ottawa Senators are ready for life after Brady Tkachuk, even though seeing their former captain leave for the Florida Panthers was not easy.

"You want guys to be here. You want guys to want to be part of this team and part of this city," defenseman Thomas Chabot said Tuesday at the Senators Foundation Charity Golf Tournament. "So, when you see something like that, obviously, I'd be lying if I said I was happy when he decided to leave."

Tkachuk, who played his first eight seasons with Ottawa, was traded to the Panthers on June 21, a move the forward requested despite saying late last season he was "fully committed to this team, to this city."

Chabot said he spoke with Tkachuk by phone after the trade and does not hold anything against his former teammate.

 "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 said.

Forward Drake Batherson, who arrived here the same season as Tkachuk (2018-19), said he was surprised by the move that landed the Senators two first-round picks (Nos. 9 and 25) in the 2026 NHL Draft, a second-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft and a conditional first-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft.

"I think we'd all love to have him here with us playing this year," Batherson said. "But it is what it is."

Instead, the Senators, who qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons after a seven-year drought, need to find a way to continue moving forward without a player who had 463 points (213 goals, 250 assists) and provided a physical edge over 572 regular-season games.

"He was a unique player," Batherson said. "Not a lot of guys in the League did what he did and brought what he brought. He stuck up for a lot of guys over the years, and he was great for this franchise.

"Collectively as a team, we're going to have to find ways to bring that aspect with him gone. We're going to have to figure it out pretty quick."

Top center Tim Stutzle said the Senators have to put Tkachuk in the rearview mirror and instead focus on the current team that includes players acquired during the offseason, such as forwards William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky, and goalie Samuel Ersson.

"(Tkachuk) is always a good friend to everyone on the team and obviously a really good player," Stutzle said. "But that's all. We can't worry about that. We've just got to keep playing.

"I mean, we're really excited for the new season. I think we have a really tight group, and we're going to do everything we can to win."

One order of business that may be addressed following Tkachuk's departure is the captaincy, a role Tkachuk served in Ottawa the past five seasons.

Senators general manager Steve Staois said it's possible they could enter the season without a captain. Chabot is entering his 10th full season since being selected by Ottawa in the first round (No. 18) of the 2015 NHL Draft and said it would be an honor to get the job.

"It's an important decision," said Chabot, who had 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 57 games last season and averaged 22:35 of ice time. "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."

Still, the loss of Tkachuk is a painful one for the Senators, who finished as the second wild card in the Eastern Conference last season and are preparing for what will once again be a very competitive Atlantic Division.

"Obviously, losing Brady, we knew that was kind of going to start being brought up a little bit," Chabot said. "There's not much we control on that, and the way people obviously around town talk to me about it, it's a huge honor and feels good to see that people recognize it."

As for Batherson, his immediate future is also an issue. The 28-year-old forward can become an unrestricted free agent after this season and wants to get a deal done before training camp starts next week. Batherson is entering the last of a six-year, $29.85 million contract ($4.975 average annual value) he signed with Ottawa on Sept. 3, 2021.

He finished second on the Senators in goals (33) and points (71) last season and was third in assists (38).

"It's the place I want to spend the rest of my career, and hopefully it works out," he said.

Ottawa plays its season opener at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 3.