Thanks to the Detroit Red Wings' loss on Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators are in.
It may not have been their preferred way of clinching a playoff spot, but it took the sting out of an underwhelming effort in Columbus that night.
Eight long and arduous years were largely presided over by one of the league's most volatile and mercurial owners. Trickle-down management negatively impacted the organization's many relationships - whether it was with the season seat members, its staff, the local business community, politicians at various levels of government, or the players themselves.
The highs and lows experienced during this time were unmistakable. So, when the Senators finally clinched a postseason berth on Tuesday night, it was easy to feel thrilled for the organization because the on-ice success was finally mirroring the positive off-ice growth experienced in the short time that Michael Andlauer has owned this franchise.
In clinching a playoff spot, it made you happy for the good people and hardworking staff within the organization who persevered through the dark days and needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It made you happy for the hockey operations department for making bold moves and prioritizing fits instead of chasing names. Happy for the coaching staff that put structure in place and instilled a belief in the players that they could buy-in and enjoy some measure of success. Happy for the longstanding players who endured the rebuild and the accompanying years of mediocrity.
Regarding the latter point, considerable attention was directed towards Brady Tkachuk earlier this season.
As a marketable and popular American-born player, outside media speculated on his future in Ottawa after another poor stretch of team play in November. The possibility of another lost season loomed over the club while eliciting concern that a lack of success could push the captain out the door.
The rest of the Senators core has not been subject to manufactured rumours, but in Thomas Chabot's case, no one within this organization has endured more ups and downs.
The veteran defenceman is the organization's longest-serving homegrown talent who has yet to experience a playoff series.
Early in Chabot's career, he shouldered the responsibility of playing big minutes in a lineup that had been gutted and was devoid of talent.
Here is the list of partners Chabot logged over 100 minutes of five-on-five ice time with between the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons: Dylan DeMelo, Ron Hainsey, Cody Ceci, Nikita Zaitsev, Erik Karlsson, Mark Borowiecki, Ben Harpur, and Christian Jaros.
It was a groan-inducing mix, but at least Chabot has the luxury of saying he was never paired in a between-two-ferns interview with the owner.
Out of all those partners, the Senators only generated more than 50 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) when Chabot played with DeMelo and Karlsson. DeMelo should have been a longstanding piece of the roster, but the popular right-shot defenceman was jettisoned at the 2020 trade deadline for a middling pick. He has been a fixture on the Winnipeg Jets for the last five seasons.
Marc Methot was Karlsson's regular partner in Chabot's rookie season, so it was never realistic for Chabot to get consistent minutes there. That offseason, Methot moved through the Vegas expansion draft process while Karlsson was dealt in a blockbuster trade with San Jose.
In the years that followed, Chabot's partners never really improved.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Chabot spent more than 100 five-on-five minutes alongside Nikita Zaitsev, Artem Zub, Erik Brannstrom, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Nick Holden, Lassi Thomson, Nick Jensen, Jakob Chychrun, Travis Hamonic and Jake Sanderson.
On paper, the quality has certainly improved over the last year or two. Artem Zub is one of the Senators' best defensive defencemen, but he has become entrenched as Jake Sanderson's partner on the team's top pairing. Chychrun was supposed to bolster the blue line, but his handedness and defensive shortcomings made him a poor fit for the Senators and Chabot.
Compounding the problem is that Chabot has had five head coaches in his eight years as an NHL regular.
"We were getting a lot of the same message for a couple years," Chabot said while describing why this season was different for the group. "When a new coach comes in, everything's new. It's new terms. It's a new way of teaching. Everything's different.
"Right from the start, everything was all about (the little) details in training camp. It was really going back to the basics. Yes, at times, it can be hard on us as players and the entire group. At the end of the day, we know that it is for the best of the team. It's about winning."
With an effective coach, a competent partner in Nick Jensen, who can play at both ends of the ice and effectively move the puck, and good health following offseason surgery on his wrist, Chabot's enjoying one of his best and most complete NHL seasons.
He has played in all but one of the Senators' 78 games, registering seven goals and 40 points. Two more points will make it Chabot's most productive season since his 55 points in the 2018-19 campaign.
Analytically, Chabot's underlying numbers back it up. NaturalStatTrick's data shows that the rate of shots and goals allowed while Chabot is on the ice this season are among the lowest of his career. Coupled with the uptick in the shots and goals that the Senators are generating while he is on the ice, it makes this 2024-25 campaign as one of his best.
He certainly needed to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Chabot has always been an affable player, someone the players regularly mention as a glue guy within the room and off the ice. But, to hear the enthusiasm in his voice when he talks about how meaningful it is to clinch a playoff spot and do it with a group of young players that he has grown with is infectious.
"It's been a heavy road, for sure," Chabot acknowledged. "The ultimate main goal was to be in the position we are this year. That's what it's all about. It's all, all of us in this room, not just me, obviously.
"I've been here for eight years, but a lot of guys have been here a long time as well, and we're lucky to do what we do every day: play hockey, show up and have fun while being with all your buddies every day at the rink."
Now that the Senators have clinched, Chabot relishes that this young core was able to achieve their goal.
"That's what makes it the best," he said. "You go through a lot of learning curves together. On losing, you learn a lot about yourself and learn a lot about your teammates.
"You see it a lot on different teams, in different sports and in losing seasons. A lot of the teams get away from each other. The main thing we always kept here in this room is the group tight and all pushing towards that same goal, even if, at times, it almost seemed impossible for a couple of years.
"To be here now, I think we're just, we're just happy, man. It's been a blast. We've got talent, some great freaking guys in this room, and every day has been a blast here. We came in this year, everybody stepped up their game in different ways."
There is a maturity with this young core now, and in years past, when they would allow the game and their emotions to get the better of them, there is now trust and a belief in the process to keep them competitive in games.
"A lot of it is learning how to win," Chabot described. "In the NHL, as crazy as it sounds, (the secret to success) is just details. It's the small details that make you win a game or make you end up losing late in the third.
"If I compare it to the past couple of years, there were so many games where we were going into the third period with a one-goal or two-goal lead or down by a goal, and then we just crumbled and lost that game. Whereas this year, it was about learning the tendencies early on and trusting the process we started in training camp. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of nights where we were far off from that, but it's all about going back to the same thing, knowing what works for us. That's the best thing that (Travis Green) brought to our group."
In some circles of Senators fandom, he takes flak for not being a physical defender but relying more on his skating, gap and stick to make defensive plays. It is reminiscent of the criticisms that Wade Redden used to endure when the franchise was in its heyday.
Chabot's puck-moving and transition skills are exceptional, and the value he creates through this ability is invaluable to the team. It certainly outweighs his perceived shortcomings on the defensive side of the puck.
To his credit, he has grown into a more well-rounded player this season, and for everything Chabot has been through, it is hard not to be happy for the person.
"It's amazing, man. I don't have many words for it. It's been a grind, but it's been fun. You learn a lot, and it's just fun to be here at this point of the season and play meaningful games. Being in the mix with all the guys that you grew up with. And you know what? For us, it's all about just enjoying every night out of it this year and getting to the playoffs.
“Then, once you're in there, you never know what can happen."
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