Will Thomas Chabot Reclaim His Role as Ottawa's Number One Defenceman This Fall?

The Senators would love to see Thomas Chabot become the kind of NHL defenceman that occasionally gets mentioned in all-star debates or among long-shot Norris Trophy candidates. With Chabot due $46 million over the next five years, it's reasonable to expect exactly that kind of player.

Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot has now been in the NHL for six seasons and a good portion of the fan base remains fully excited about what he brings to the table. He's young, skilled, poised with the puck, a great skater and loved in the dressing room.

But this season, it was impossible to ignore the growing number of critics, who've developed an opposing view of Chabot. The 26-year-old did not have his finest season, but it can be argued that injuries and overuse almost certainly affected things. Again.

Chabot’s detractors probably started to come out to play about a year and a half ago when analyst Kevin Bieksa had some harsh words for Chabot on Hockey Night in Canada. Chabot’s supporters were naturally livid with Bieksa, but even though the analyst walked back or softened his comments on a next-day Ottawa podcast, he seemed to open the door to other critics.

Whether you’re a Chabot fan or not, he certainly appears to be a great candidate for a bounce back season. For one, the Sens head coach (whether it's D.J. Smith or someone else) won't need to skate him into the ground anymore. For the past five years, Chabot has been the unquestioned number one defenceman and his minutes show it. Shaving 3-4 minutes off his average ice time will do wonders for his energy levels.

Not only does fatigue invite mistakes, Chabot has had to face every NHL team's best scorers for the past five years. He also hasn't had any of his teammates pushing him, truly competing for his minutes. But the arrivals of both Jake Sanderson and Jakob Chychrun have changed the game. Whether fans agree or not, the Sens organization still sees Chabot as their number one, and he's earned that title. Out of the gate, the job should be his to lose. But Sanderson was a better defenceman than Chabot last season. And Chychrun isn't far off.

This healthy competition is a positive development and, in theory, should help lead Chabot into a bounce back season this fall. And the Sens are counting on that, because he's also about to become a lot more expensive. In fact, the entire Ottawa blue line is about to get a lot more expensive, and it'll be fascinating to see if the Sens are able or willing to keep everyone happy.

Chabot is heading into the meaty bit of an eight year, $64 million contract. He goes from a salary of $4 million to $8 million this fall and, in the big picture, he's scheduled to make $46 million over the next five seasons. 

Now consider this. In a glorious symphony of cash register chimes – Sanderson will have to be re-signed next summer. Chychrun goes from $4.6 million to $5.4 million this fall, and then to $7 million as his contract expires at the end of 2024-25; Artem Zub goes from $2.5 million to $4.6 million this fall. Travis Hamonic and Erik Brannstrom both need new deals this summer. And we haven't even mentioned the financials at the forward position or what a new goalie might cost.

The Senators' blue line is going to be very good, very pricey, very soon. And keeping everyone will be hard. For those hovering at or near the top of the team's salary list, there simply won't be room for underachieving.