Thomas Chabot's Senators are 4-1-0, and the most striking thing isn't the record. It's how much fun this group suddenly looks like it's having.
Every goal and every win comes with big smiles and fist pumps. The images don't lie: this team looks lighter and tighter than it has in years.
The obvious change is in the room. Brady Tkachuk is now in Florida, and Chabot has taken over as captain.
Tkachuk brought a lot of emotion to Ottawa. That intensity drove the team on good nights, but some observers felt it weighed on the group when things went wrong.
Chabot is a different kind of leader. The early results suggest a room where everyone is pulling in the same direction.
The wins have been gritty too. Ottawa won 3-2 in Toronto, 4-1 in Boston, 2-1 over Philadelphia and 3-2 in a shootout over Nashville.
Travis Green's Senators find chemistry under a new leadership group
The only loss came in Detroit, a 5-3 game on the second half of a back-to-back.
Chabot, 29, carries an $8,000,000 cap hit and has three points with a +4. His leadership shows up more in the room than on the scoresheet.
Tkachuk, meanwhile, is still searching for his first point with the Panthers. Different teams, very different starts.
The culture change in Ottawa looks real. A captain who brings a room together can matter as much as one who brings the noise, and right now the Senators are the proof.
It's like a house after a loud roommate moves out. Things get calmer, and suddenly everybody hangs out in the kitchen again.
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It's still early, and five games don't make a season. Ottawa visits New Jersey on Monday with a chance to keep the good vibes rolling.
The smiles are back in Ottawa. Whether they survive the first real slump will show how deep this change really goes.
Are the Senators better off with Thomas Chabot as captain?
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