Almost three years ago, when the Ottawa Senators signed free agent Claude Giroux, he seemed to be exactly what they needed – a proven veteran leader who had skillfully captained the Philadelphia Flyers for a decade. The addition was applauded in the capital and across the league.

But as the present-day management recognized, the youth-to-veteran ratio still wasn't quite there. So last summer, GM Steve Staios went out and acquired Nick Jensen, David Perron, Michael Amadio, and Nick Cousins—not only veteran players who’ve been around the block, but three of them also have Stanley Cup rings.

Their veteran leadership – supplemented by the vets who were already here – has been one of the reasons why the Senators improved enough this season to clinch a playoff spot for the first time in eight years. But what the vets have helped deliver in the regular season will be even more valuable when the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin next week.

If you ask ten different people to define great leadership in hockey, you might get ten different answers. Senators head coach Travis Green believes it’s one of the biggest factors in helping teams overcome adversity.

“Yeah, I think it helps you in trying times,” Green told the media on Monday. “It helps you when maybe s---’s hitting the fan or things aren't going the way you want. And having players that have been through it, done that, they don't have a lot of panic within the room. They don't have panic on the ice. And it just kind of happens naturally when you have guys that have been through different experiences.

“There's been a lot of talk about that, about our group this year, dating back to November. And I think having guys that have been through stuff and had success. They understand that because after you've lost three or four in a row, A, you have to bring it and B, you just don't start doing things that you're not capable of doing either, and making it worse.”

You could certainly accuse past Senators teams of that. Even earlier this season, after so many changes on the ice and behind the bench were still coming together, there were some sketchy moments. Green was probably referring to late November, a time when the club was second-last in the conference and had lost four games in a row.

But they made it through that and Perron and Amadio are good examples of players who’ve helped lead this team in very different ways. Having Stanley Cup rings make them easy for the younger guys to emulate.

“David's a louder guy than Mods,” Green said. “But Ammo also, in the big games, we've seen him play really well and be strong and understand certain parts of the game. Your leadership can come in a lot of different ways. It doesn't have to come by words all the time either. And that sorts itself out in the locker room.”

“It's not like we sit in the room and tell guys who can lead. They're on their own when we're not in the room. I think leadership just comes naturally.

That’s not to say this isn’t Brady Tkachuk’s team. The Sens captain is the guy that the cliché “he drags his team into the fight” was pretty much written for. But another old adage also applies: “Sometimes, you don’t know what you don’t know.” Tkachuk hasn’t been in the playoffs before, but the club has done a fine job of surrounding him with men who have.

So, while their regular-season impact was huge, an even bigger test of that veteran presence is looming next week for the Senators, probably in the blinding spotlight of hockey’s biggest and hungriest market. And if or when they fall, whenever that may be, it won't be for lack of leadership.

By Steve Warne
THN Ottawa Site Editor

More Sens Headlines:

- Andlauer Reflects On Playoffs; Could New NHL App Help Mitigate Dadonov Fallout?
- Brady Tkachuk: 'I Don’t Think I’d Ever Miss An Opportunity To Play In The Playoffs
- The Five Core Ottawa Senator Players Most Ready To Finally Experience Playoffs
- David Perron Chosen As Ottawa Senators 2025 Masterton Trophy Nominee
- CLINCHED: Ottawa Senators Officially Clinch First Playoff Spot In Eight Years
- Former Ottawa Senators Assistant GM Ray Shero Passes Away At Age 62