Thomas Chabot was named captain of the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, four days before they play their first game of the 2026-27 season.
The 29-year-old defenseman is the longest-tenured player on the Senators, having debuted with them in 2016-17 after being selected in the first round (No. 18) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Chabot replaces Brady Tkachuk, who was captain for the past five seasons before he was traded to the Florida Panthers on June 21.
Forwards Claude Giroux and Tim Stutzle and defenseman Jake Sanderson were named alternates.
"It's a huge honor," Chabot said. "I mean, you guys all know how much I care about the city and this team, and I take a lot of pride in wearing this jersey every single night. So, like I said to the guys in the room, to me, it's a huge honor to wear a letter and everything, but it's always been about a group team and getting everybody involved."
Chabot had 31 points (seven goals, 24 assists) in 57 games for the Senators last season and averaged 22:35 of ice time, second on the team behind defenseman Jake Sanderson (24:50). He did not have a point but led the Stanley Cup Playoffs in ice time per game (31:07) for Ottawa, which was swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round.
"I think it was an easy choice," Ottawa coach Travis Green said. "Again, I know when we came to camp we were asked a lot of questions (about the captaincy), and I think (Chabot) was always probably at the forefront. ... I think it was evident before camp to us and as camp went on, 'Chabby' would be the guy. ... His willing to sacrifice, his care, and it's not just for his teammates, but the city and the organization."
Chabat has 335 points (78 goals, 257 assists) in 569 regular-season games and four points (one goal, three assists) in 10 postseason games.
"Totally well earned and deserved," Senators general manager Steve Staios said. "Thomas exemplifies everything that it means to be an Ottawa Senator. So, proud day for us. ... The way that he plays the game, the way he commits to the game, is inspiring for his teammates. ... But I think for a long time we knew who it was going to be."
Chabot said he only found out about a half hour prior to the press conference and knew something was up when his wife and 5-day-old daughter came into the room.
"It's pretty fresh," Chabot said. "... I figured it wasn't just an introduction to my daughter to the full team and staff. So, it was a cool moment, and like I said early on, it hasn't really clicked in, but it's definitely something I take a lot of pride in, and it's a huge honor."
The Senators open their regular season at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SNO, SNP).
"Ottawa's home for us," Chabot said. "We bought our first house here, we've had our first child here. Ottawa will always be close to our heart no matter what. ... We're excited for the team we have. We have a lot of guys, actually tons of guys, that are happy to be here and want to play and want to wear this jersey every night, and that's all that matters to us, is we have a tight group, a group that loves to be together, and we couldn't be more excited to get going on Saturday."
Three NHL teams remain without a captain: the Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings and Vancouver Canucks.
NHL.com independent correspondent Zoe Pierce contributed to this report
