NHL rumors: Ottawa Senators working on extension with Thomas Chabot
The Ottawa Senators are working on extending defenseman Thomas Chabot, according to a report from The Ottawa Sun.
After inking Colin White to a six-year deal, the Ottawa Senators are focusing on getting another young franchise cornerstone player under contract. According to a report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the club has “turned their attention” towards a contract extension with 22-year-old defenseman Thomas Chabot.
Garrioch added that discussions are seemingly “moving in the right direction.” General manager Pierre Dorion wouldn’t say much in regards to contract talks, though he said owner Eugene Melnyk is “understanding the plan.” That’s obviously good news for Senators fans since Melnyk has a long history of refusing to pay his stars top dollar.
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Chabot is entering the final season of his entry-level deal, and he’s due for a nice raise after a breakout 2018-19 campaign, where he tallied 14 goals and 55 points.
With Erik Karlsson long gone, Chabot has been long viewed as the future franchise face and leader as the Senators try to complete a frustrating rebuilding process.
To date, Chabot has 23 goals and 80 points in 134 NHL games. He was drafted 18th overall by the Senators in 2015. Chabot averaged 24:17 time on ice last season, which was tops among all Ottawa skaters.
The Senators are coming off a season in which they finished dead last in the league standings, recording just 64 points.
Their 2019 first-round pick (No. 4 overall) went to the Colorado Avalanche in the 2017 Matt Duchene trade, so it was truly a lost season for the Sens, who wound up dealing fan-favorite Mark Stone to the Vegas Golden Knights before the deadline.
Extending Chabot now would be a huge win for Dorion and the front office because the Sens have plenty of RFAs to deal with over the next two seasons. This includes Brady Tkachuk, Logan Brown, Anthony Duclair, and Chris Tierney.
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The Senators have missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons — and three of the last four overall. With a strong farm system and a plethora of young studs to build around, the future is looking bright. Chabot figures to be a big part of that, and the Senators would be wise to get his lucrative extension out of the way ahead of training camp.