Filling in for injured defenseman Thomas Chabot, Donovan Sebrango played more like a veteran instead of a young, nervous rookie making his NHL debut for the Ottawa Senators Thursday.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (face) will miss Thursday's game against Washington. Chabot was hit in the face by a puck on Tuesday against the Islanders and will step out of the lineup for the first time this season.

Heading into the 2024 offseason, the Senators, who were under an entirely new regime for their first full offseason, had some pretty clear goals. The goaltending and defense group needed a significant upgrade.

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Sometimes divorces end in happiness for both partners. That’s what happened with the Ottawa Senators and Jakob Chychrun, who are separately thriving this season, writes .

Chychrun returned to Ottawa this week as the top-scoring defenceman on the top team in the NHL and reflected on his time with the Senators.

Now, the Senators can finally claim a shutdown duo once again in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub, who are halting scoring attempts by other teams’ best players on a nightly basis. The proclamation might have come earlier in the season, too, if it weren’t for Zub’s injuries.

Jakob Chychrun will face the Senators for the first time since being dealt to the Washington Capitals on July 1 in exchange for veteran defenceman Nick Jensen. Chychrun, who suited up for 94 games with Ottawa after being dealt here in March 2023 from the Arizona Coyotes, has been having a standout year with the Caps.

The Bruins' recent wins over the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning have come despite allowing 43 and 45 shots, respectively. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman has continued to play his best hockey of the season with a .925 save percentage in his last nine starts.

Jakob Chychrun admits he's expecting a "mixed" reception Thursday when he faces the Ottawa Senators as a member of the Washington Capitals for the first time."I didn't trade myself," he said when asked what went wrong during his time in Ottawa.

You can debate which of the Senators’ needs — a scoring forward, another defenceman, possibly some goaltending help — is more pressing but the recent skid, about two months before the trade deadline, has amplified the need for general manager Steve Staios to make a move.

“I’ve definitely seen that time and time again,” said Ottawa defenceman Nick Jensen, dealt to the Senators by the Caps in the off-season. “He’s been able to produce like this year after year so it’s no surprise that he can still do it.”