What, for you, what makes a good captain of an NHL team?

Well, I've said this publicly before, but I was a terrible captain for probably the first four to six weeks of my captaincy.

And it's something that I've passed along to our players through conversation and communication that you really don't have to change who you are.

I had realized after about a month trying to be a captain, trying to be something that I wasn't, and it was exhausting.

And that was one thing that...

And we'll emphasize it to Shabby.

I mean, he's, what he brings to the table every day for our team, the energy, the passion, team first attitude, all of that, he doesn't have to change anything that he does.

I'm not suggesting something of that scale, but how, you know, what is the talk like right now? You're always looking to improve this

For you, what makes a good captain of an NHL team?

Well, I've said this publicly before, but I was a terrible captain for probably the first four to six weeks of my captaincy.

And it's something that I've passed along to our players through conversation and communication that you really don't have to change who you are.

I had realized after about a month trying to be a captain, trying to be something that I wasn't, and it was exhausting.

And that was one thing that...

And we'll emphasize it to Shabby.

I mean, he's, what he brings to the table every day for our team, the energy, the passion, team first attitude, all of that, he doesn't have to change anything that he does.

Did you think you were going to lose him? What was your percentage in your mind? Cause you didn't want to lose a player and you obviously had a pivot plan and that's Johansson, but maybe take us through that process.

At the same time, how important is it to hear those kind of things, he wants to be here, knowing the whole situation of the last, uh, the last summer with Brady and stuff?

Yeah, I mean, I've touched on that.

I think that that was a unique situation.

Um, I wouldn't make too much out of it as far as our players.

This, this group is, is hungry to win and, and loves playing in Ottawa.

And, uh, I think for what we've been able to do over the last couple of years, two or three years, to build on this culture and the team, um, I think that not only do they appreciate it, but they feel part of it.

And, uh, they're a big part of it.

Where do you stand with selecting a captain?

But what can you tell us maybe about the Brady-Kachuk discussions that you haven't revealed before?

Well, that's a great question, Luke, and I'm glad you asked it.

And, you know, I think that...

We've had a lot of conversations in our group internally and externally.

We've done our due diligence and explored every avenue to do a deep dive into the process of diving deep.

And there's a balance to these things.

I mean, there are 365 NHL general managers And we're all playing a game of Mahjong, essentially, with dots and bamboo and myriads.

Would you characterize that as a bitch move perhaps?

Yeah, yeah.

Um, I think in light of the timing, you know, we make a, we, you know, Brady gets moved out in a trade, and Burakovsky comes in, so I can see how people think that it's a, um, it, it's a replacement.

I think when we looked at Burakovsky, a few things came to mind.

One was in particular was we were looking at the winger market, either via trade, uh, or UFA.

And it became clear to me that, uh, I wasn't gonna go, didn't wanna go down the path on the UFA market with the term and dollars on, uh, on some of those players.

Good wingers for sure.

Uh, Burakovsky's a little bit of a, he's a player that has played with good players.

Mm-hmm

Do you think that you have enough scoring to succeed, regular season and playoffs?

Well, we were eighth in goals for in the National Hockey League last year, and I think... on the surface, do we have a pure sniper? I think everybody's sort of looking at that.

Um, but I think the depth of the roster and the team that you've referenced as we continue to, to, to, to build our group, um, you know, we, you'd love to add that the Berkoski, um, addition was, was one that, uh, you know, the winger market, again, if we're going to go look at the UFA market, uh, It's a lot of term and a lot of dollars on aging players.

Burkoski had a very good start to last season and dropped off.

He's also been on two Stanley Cup winning teams.

It continues to add to the depth and the optionality for the coaching staff.

That process was an interesting one as we were going through season.

Is that a realistic option scenario in your mind?

Do you think that you have enough scoring to succeed, regular season and playoffs?

Well, we were eighth in goals for in the National Hockey League last year, and I think... on the surface, do we have a pure sniper? I think everybody's sort of looking at that.

Um, but I think the depth of the roster and the team that you've referenced as we continue to, to, to, to build our group, um, you know, we, you'd love to add that the Berkoski, um, addition was, was one that, uh, you know, the winger market, again, if we're going to go look at the UFA market, uh, It's a lot of term and a lot of dollars on aging players.

Burkoski had a very good start to last season and dropped off.

He's also been on two Stanley Cup winning teams.

It continues to add to the depth and the optionality for the coaching staff.

That process was an interesting one as we were going through season.

Is that a realistic option scenario in your mind?

So let's start with Kachuk in the absence and then parlay that into just how dynamic and special Jake Sanderson is for you.

Yeah, well, Brady, I think unicorns are probably a good word for him.

He possesses the physical attributes, the competitiveness, the fierce physicality, along with being able to play the game, like you said.

And he gets the right areas, and he's got... he's got good hands he's got he's got a good shot so he's got the offensive skill set to go along with it um it's obviously a massive hole for us but an opportunity for some of our guys to be able to step up we feel like we have depth that can that can step up in his absence we're never going to be the same without him but um but injuries are part of the game and uh it's tough to have it to one of your top players early on but again we look at it as an opportunity for our we're looking forward to that as far as Jake Sanderson I still think he's just scratching the surface he's got you know the one thing that's most impressive about him is we've seen so many good young defensemen offensive defensemen that have come into the league and they have to work on their defensive game his defensive game is is a strong point of his along with what he can bring on the offense and can transport the puck so and he's very detailed in it and that's the unique thing about about Jake so I think he's just sort of scratching the surface now

Those guys are a couple pros, aren't they?

Well, that was part of it, Bob.

I think when I looked at this group as a whole, I saw a young core that was starting to develop, and I still think that there's plenty of room for internal growth for those players individually and for the group, but what I wanted to do was make sure that they were surrounded with good pros, and You know, David Perron, Lars Eller, Stanley Cup champions as well.

And they've been through the battles and been through the grind.