Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith says the club won't name a captain for the 2019-20 season.
"No we're not," Smith told Sportsnet's Wayne Scanlan. "The captain will emerge in time. I think the biggest thing is that we will allow the older guys to mentor these younger guys and blunt the blow until we turn the corner here. After a tough night, I don't want the young guys having to answer all the questions. The veterans and myself are going to answer to it."
The Senators were without a captain last season after the team traded Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks. He donned the "C" for Ottawa from 2013 to 2018, and was the ninth captain in franchise history.
After Karlsson was dealt, Ottawa unloaded a slew of other veterans who were playing on expiring contracts and could have assumed the role of captain, including Mark Stone, Matt Duchene, and Ryan Dzingel.
While the timeline to name a captain is unclear, the Sens possess a good core of young players who could take on a leadership role, with Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Colin White all worthy options.
Ottawa finished last in the NHL in 2018-19, posting a 29-47-6 record.
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