Tim Stutzle and Claude Giroux say the veteran defenceman already has been leading the club for years.

The Ottawa Senators are prepared to play follow the leader.

Nobody was happier to see Thomas Chabot named the 11th captain in the history of the Senators on Tuesday than his teammates.

Twenty-four hours after Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, along with coach Travis Green, made their choice of Chabot as a replacement for departed captain Brady Tkachuk, the players in the room supported the choice.

Tim Stutzle, an alternate captain who was one of three players considered for the top job by Staios and Green, said he would have picked Chabot if given the chance to make the selection.

Chabot will make his debut with the ‘C’ by leading this team into the Battle of Ontario in Saturday’s season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

“I mean, for me personally, it was Chabby all the way. I would have taken him any day of the week, so I’m just super happy that they made that decision and I would have told them the same thing,” Stutzle said after the club’s skate at the Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.

“Chabby’s been through it all here. He went through a lot of hard times here and he always stayed here. And he was always the best.

“He’s never in a bad mood, and he always brings his energy. Plays through so many injuries. Never lets down his teammates. So if there’s one guy who deserves it, it’s definitely him.”

The 29-year-old Chabot has been with the organization for a decade and his teammates know what he has been through. There has been a lot of hard work, some disappointment and several bumps along the way during what felt like an endless rebuild to get back to the playoffs.

There was no wrong choice from the group of candidates that included Chabot, Stutzle and top defenceman Jake Sanderson, but the Senators picked the right guy for the job. Chabot has worn an alternate ‘A’ for the past five years and this was just a natural step.

“It’s not surprising,” said veteran winger Claude Giroux, who will serve as one of three alternates along with Stutzle and Sanderson. “Well-respected guy in the locker room. He’s always in a good mood. He’s been here for a while, the way he plays, and he plays through anything. We’re all happy for him.”

The timing is right for Chabot to become the captain. He was passed over for the job in 2021 because the Senators had promised Tkachuk during a long-term contract negotiation that he’d wear the ‘C.’

When Tkachuk took over, the Senators hadn’t had a captain since 2018 when Erik Karlsson was traded and the club went through a lengthy rebuild. Those were big shoes to fill for Tkachuk, but Chabot isn’t facing the same challenge.

Giroux was named captain of the Philadelphia Flyers at age 25 on Jan. 15, 2013, so he understands the challenges that come with wearing the ‘C.’

“I feel like when I got it, I was pretty young and I made a lot of mistakes, and I’m going to own that. But, I feel like he’s older, he’s got a lot of experience,” Giroux said.

“Maybe he’s never had a ‘C’ before, but I think it’s just in his blood that he leads on and off the ice, and I mean, he’s not going to change as a person, so he’s just got to go out there and play the game. He was always one of our leaders, and nothing’s going to change.”

If Chabot had been passed over for the top job, he would have supported whoever else received the ‘C’. But this just felt right for everybody involved.

Stutzle, 24, said he doesn’t need a letter to be a leader, but is prepared for the alternate role.

“I think I’ve grown a lot. That’s also because of the leaders we have in this room, and it’s not a one-man show,” Stutzle said. “We’re all a team in here. Everybody has a voice, and that’s what’s going to be important for us.

“It’s going to be a huge honour for me to support Chabby, but we’re all prepared to be pulling on the same string.”

For a franchise that spent years searching for stability, the choice of Chabot isn’t a changing of the guard. It’s a recognition of what already existed.

Through the lean years, the selloffs, the rebuild and the return to contention, Chabot has been a constant for this franchise.

Now, after wearing an ‘A’ and earning the respect of everybody in the room, he has the title to match the role he’s already been playing.

The Senators believe they’re ready to take the next step this season. And they’re comfortable following a captain who has been there every step of the way.