Ottawa Senators’ Thomas Chabot played through wrist issue for past two seasons
Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot attended a team event on Monday and admitted he’s dealt with a lingering wrist issue the past two seasons. Chabot mentioned he’s taken care of it throughout the offseason and is ready to start the 2024-25 campaign fully healthy.
Chabot, 27, appeared in just 51 games for the Senators in 2023-24, recording nine goals and 30 points. It was the fourth season in a row where Chabot was unable to dress in more than 70 games during the regular season. The former 2015 first-round pick has yet to play a full season throughout his seven-year professional career.
Chabot is expected to be a huge part of the Senators’ blueline this season. Ottawa traded Jakob Chychrun to the Washington Capitals earlier this offseason in exchange for Nick Jensen as management looks to balance out their pairings with another right-handed shot.
The Senators committed to youngster Jake Sanderson before last season with a lucrative eight-year extension which kicks in this year, so it became paramount that changes were expected at some point this offseason. Chychrun moved, Jensen in, as Chabot and Sanderson are expected to play major minutes for the Senators on the left-side of their blueline. Chabot and Jensen have been skating a lot together as a pair throughout the team’s informal skates in recent weeks.
Chabot is signed through the 2027-28 season at $8-million AAV. Looking back to before his wrist issues, Chabot played over 26 minutes a game and enjoyed his most productive seasons based on point-per-game production.
The Senators enter the 2024-25 season looking to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoff picture in the Eastern Conference and are hopeful a healthy Chabot, along with some new faces, including Jensen and starting netminder Linus Ullmark can push the team’s core over the hump.