Ottawa Senators set to start post-Karlsson era without a captain
OTTAWA — With Erik Karlsson now lacing up his skates on the other side of the continent, the Ottawa Senators are going into the first year of their rebuild without a captain.
The Senators announced their leadership group Wednesday for their first season since 2014-15 that Karlsson has not worn the ‘C’ in Ottawa. Forwards Mark Stone and Matt Duchene will serve as alternate captains, while defenceman Mark Borowiecki and forward Zack Smith, who remains with the team after being placed on waivers in training camp, will alternate wearing an ‘A’ on the road and home respectively.
The Senators are coming off their worst season in over a decade as they open their 2018-19 campaign Thursday night home against the Chicago Blackhawks. Ottawa finished second-last in the NHL last year while enduring a litany of off-ice incidents. Last month the team traded Karlsson, who led or tied the team in scoring the past five years, to the San Jose Sharks.
With third-leading scorer Mike Hoffman also on the move after being traded first to San Jose and then Florida, not much is expected this season of the remaining Senators. But Stone said he’s looking forward to the challenge of proving the naysayers wrong.