“I’m not going to sit here and say we don’t miss (Chabot),” Senators coach Travis Green said last week, when the defenceman was out with an injury.
The Senators did, and his importance was on display against Chicago and Boston, where he racked up two assists while dominating possession and re-invigorating Ottawa’s second power-play unit.
Chabot has missed 15 games this season with what is believed to be an oblique-muscle injury. He initially was injured against Dallas on Nov. 11, and returned on Nov. 22 against San Jose only to re-injure his mid-body, which he called “s—– luck.”
It was for the Senators too, as they went 7-8-0 without Chabot, a big difference from the 11-5-4 record when he’s played. Chabot’s presence adds a layer of dynamism with his elite puck-moving and ability to be a one-man breakout on a blueline starved of those elements outside of Jake Sanderson.
Before Sanderson’s rise, Chabot was overused for years as a No. 1 defenceman. Now, he can be an elite second-pairing defenceman. He’s finally in the perfect slot.
In the past, Chabot has struggled with defence; yet, under Green, that element to his game has drastically improved. This season, Chabot ranks 210th out of 747 skaters with 2.47 expected goals allowed when he’s on the ice at five-on-five.
“What’s probably been the most impressive thing with Chabot is he’s committed to defending, the last year and a half. He’s such a gifted skater that it was easy for him just to play on the move,” said Green.
“And now, there are certain moments in the game where you have to come back and just stop and play defence. And he’s a strong guy. He’s not the thickest guy, but he’s strong, and he’s able to box up when he puts his mind to it and be strong on the puck.”
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Plus/minus is an imperfect stat, but it gives some indication of Chabot’s effectiveness. In his first seven seasons combined, Chabot was a minus-76 and was never a plus player after any one season. In the last two seasons, however, he is a combined plus-24.
Chabot’s offence was always on display, but becoming a more well-rounded defenceman has opened up Ottawa’s offensive generation, particularly at five-on-five. From Dec. 4-15, without Chabot, the Senators were held scoreless in four of five games at five-on-five. Since his return, they’ve scored eight five-on-five goals in two games, with Chabot being on the ice for four of them.
Chabot might wear an “A,” but you don’t need to be Captain Obvious to see the immense impact he has on the Senators.
This season, when Chabot has been on the ice, the Senators score at a rate of 3.87 goals per 60 minutes, the best record of any player on the team. His offensive generation was on display when he kept a puck in against Chicago and circled around two Blackhawks to find Brady Tkachuk in the slot for a goal. He also made a Bobby Orr-esque end-to-end rush to find Tim Stutzle for a goal against Chicago, but it was called off for goalie interference.
“He’s an unreal player,” Stutzle told reporters. “The confidence he has, what he brings in the room, his voice, yeah, I’m just really happy he’s back. And, yeah, he made some unreal plays (against Chicago). So, really lucky to have him on our team.”
Since the start of 2024-25, Chabot ranks 19th in the league in wins above replacement, according to Evolving Hockey.
Chabot has also revitalized the Senators’ second power-play unit, which was floundering. The second unit has scored three goals in Chabot’s first two games back, including when Chabot set up Fabian Zetterlund for a power-play goal against Boston.
Chabot’s return has also had a domino effect. Sanderson will no longer be forced to routinely grind out more than 30 minutes a night. In the two games since Chabot’s return, Sanderson has averaged 25:49 of playing time. And in those two games, Ottawa has dominated, outshooting its opponents, 68-44.
Tyler Kleven and Jordan Spence had been elevated into a second-pairing role in Chabot’s absence, and despite what the analytics said, on multiple occasions both were overwhelmed against superior competition. Against New Jersey, they were individually at fault for three goals, and Kleven’s mistake against Minnesota cost the team at least a point with 22 seconds left, when Joel Eriksson Ek won the game off a poor Kleven clearance.
The pair had a very good 57 per cent expected goal share before Chabot’s injury as a third pairing while on the ice for only two goals at five-on-five in 83 minutes. Against Boston with Kleven out, Green put Chabot and Spence together, the thinking being both will be excellent at holding onto the puck. Right before Chabot’s injury, they had been paired together briefly and thrived; they were also excellent against Boston while on the ice for three five-on-five Senators goals. This season, the duo has an expected goals share at 58 per cent while outscoring opponents 6-0 at five-on-five. Maybe Ottawa has found its second pair: Chabot and Spence.
Meanwhile, Sanderson and Artem Zub have dominated their minutes with the lowest expected goals rate of any duo this season.
That means with Chabot bringing stability to the second pair, the Senators have one of the best 1-2 punches on the backend in the league.
In an effort to keep his energy up without Chabot, Sanderson changed his pre-game routine:
An iced brown sugar, oat-milk shaken espresso from Starbucks, to be exact.
Teammate Michael Amadio got him into it.
“I kind of just wanted to wait as long as I could to not drink (coffee),” said Sanderson.
“I felt like I was a morning person. But I think, in the season, it can be a grind sometimes.”
Stutzle streaking into superstardom
Stutzle has been hotter than a spicy bratwurst. He is on a seven-game point streak with 14 points in that span. It’s not just his offence: he’s had three short-handed breakaways in his last two games while providing elite defensive aptitude.
After the victory in Boston, Stutzle alluded to the fact he was known as a perimeter player, saying, “earlier on in my career, I was told I play on the outside a lot.” His goal against Boston was the opposite: he outworked Andrew Peeke in front to score his sixth goal in his last seven games.
Since 2024-25, Stuzle ranks fifth in wins above replacement. It’s a telling stat when Leon Draistaitl, Connor McDavid, Thomas Harley and David Pastrnak are the names ahead of you. He is entering a superstar vortex.
After scoring one goal in his first 17 games, Zetterlund has eight goals in his last 16. Against Boston, he recorded his first two-goal game as a Senator. He feeds off his scoring.
“I don’t know what to say. When the puck goes in, it’s easier to play,” Zetterlund told Sportsnet.ca earlier this month.
Zetterlund’s goal celebrations exude a mix of relief and passionate happiness. Can his smile possibly get bigger?
Maybe that’s what GM Steve Staios has been doing of late.
The Senators traded away real assets and paid Zetterlund to be a top-six winger. He’s been that and more of late. His ferocious shot and great forechecking have made him a perfect complement to Stutzle and Tkachuk on the first line. The trio has been absolutely dominant this season, with a 70 per cent expected goals. It’s the best of any line in the NHL with a minimum of 100 minutes played.