Promising young defenceman practising patience as he tries to crack Sens’ roster
OTTAWA — Thomas Chabot understands that he needs to be patient.
Drafted 18th overall by Ottawa in 2015, Chabot is coming off a spectacular junior season and expectations are sky-high for the 20-year-old defenceman. But he knows he needs to keep a realistic perspective as he aims to crack the Senators’ lineup.
“It’s important to take things day-by-day right now,” Chabot said. “My goal is to be here this year, but I don’t go to bed every night saying I’ll be in Ottawa this season. I come to the arena with the mindset that I want to get better every day and I think that by taking things step-by-step that it will ultimately help me reach my goal.”
Chabot appeared in just one NHL regular-season game in 2016-17, playing just over seven minutes and registering a minus-2 defensive rating, but the Senators kept him around until Nov. 2. At the time many questioned the Senators reasoning for keeping him rather than returning him to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs, where he would see plenty of ice time.