The Ottawa Senators lost their captain earlier this off-season when star forward Brady Tkachuk was dealt to the Florida Panthers in a blockbuster deal last month.
In addition to his production on the ice, Ottawa will need to replace Tkachuk’s leadership off it. According to veteran forward Claude Giroux, it’s going to take a group effort to fill the void.
“Brady’s a big personality and he brings a lot to the team, on and off the ice,” Giroux told NHL.com in a story posted Tuesday. “So, obviously it’s going to be a different look a little bit, but saying that, we have a lot of guys, a lot of leadership in the locker room. They’re young guys, so it’s for them to keep playing the way they’ve been playing and bring some leadership in the locker room. … It’s got to be a group effort and I’m excited to do that."
Giroux said that much like the rest of the Sens’ fanbase, he was surprised by the trade.
“You just don’t think that that’s going to happen,” Giroux said via Amalie Benjamin. “Brady was captain here. He was great in the community, he did a lot for this community, and you just don’t think that kind of trade would happen. Obviously it did.”
The Senators have yet to name new captain. According to Giroux, who was named captain of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2013 at the age of 25, there are plenty of options on the Sens’ roster.
“We have a good amount of guys that could fill that role and be a leader on and off the ice.”
While Tkachuk departed to join his brother Matthew in South Florida in exchange for three first-round picks and a second, Giroux returned to his hometown Sens on a one-year, $2 million deal that includes performance bonuses that could reach a maximum of $5 million.
Giroux remained productive in his 19th NHL season, tallying 14 goals and 49 points while playing in all 82 games. He’s only missed one game in his four years in Ottawa.
The Sens reached the postseason for the second straight year in 2025-26 and finished two points higher (99) than they did the year before. But the Sens were swept in the opening round of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, making it back-to-back opening-round losses after falling to the Toronto Maple Leafs the season before.
Giroux thinks it’s time for the team to take a leap forward and said he wanted to come back and a part of it.
“It didn’t take very long for me to realize that I wanted to keep going, wanted to keep going with this organization and take that next step,” he said. “We’ve been saying that for a few years now to take that next step, but it’s time to do it now.”
