The Senators have the tools to take it to another level, according to Thomas Chabot

UPDATE DAY

QUEBEC CITY – Ahead of the latest NHL draft, Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot let Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion know it was time to take it to the next level: the message has been heard and the Quebecer is pleasantly surprised. 

Met on the sidelines of the Pro-Am Gagné-Bergeron this week, the Beauceron did not hide his optimism. He didn't expect to see a 40-goal scorer in Alex DeBrincat, a quality veteran in Claude Giroux and a goaltender of the caliber of Cam Talbot land in Ottawa in the space of a few weeks.

“It's exciting,” said Chabot. A guy like Claude Giroux has had an amazing career so far and he comes from the area. He brings talent and experience, which will help our young group. A guy like DeBrincat, well, any team would dream of having a scorer who could score 40 goals a season like that. […] Having a goalkeeper like Cam Talbot will bring a lot of stability in front of the net.”

According to the defenseman, the Senators are likely to be more attractive in the free agent market in the coming years. Aware that the Atlantic section will be tough, Chabot nevertheless believes that his team has the tools to go a long way.

“It's really nice to take a step forward to win and make series, he said. We are realistic, our division is really difficult. We have a lot of work to do, but for sure we have improved a lot.”

The fruit of the work

Chabot emphasizes that the core of the team has progressed in recent seasons. He maintains that the city and the fans deserve to reap the fruits of the labor of the past few years.

“We have a lot of young people who improve every season, but at the end of the day, we want to win games and make the series, he decided. Yes, it's the “fun” to develop everyone, but we play hockey for the chance to win the Stanley Cup.”