Tim Stutzle brushes off Brad Marchand's jab in Senators captaincy debate

Tim Stützle takes a swing during the Ottawa Senators Foundation Charity Open. Tony Caldwell/Postmedia

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Tim Stutzle doesn’t give a damn what Brad Marchand thinks.

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The Florida Panthers winger opted to give his two cents on the top three candidates to replace Brady Tkachuk as captain of the Ottawa Senators and took a shot at top centre Tim Stutzle.

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An Instagram account called “Puckempire” posted last month about the Ottawa Citizen’s report that the Senators are closing in on naming their new captain, with Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot and Stutzle believed to be the three finalists.

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That prompted Marchand, the feisty Florida pest, to weigh in on Monday night with his own opinion on the choice that’s about to be made by Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, along with head coach Travis Green.

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“HAHAHAH…… STUTZLE…. HAHAHA,” Marchand responded from his own Instagram account.

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Stutzle had his first opportunity to respond to the comment by Marchand before the siren sounded to start the Senators’ Foundation tournament at the Rideau View Golf Club on Tuesday.

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“I don’t really care, to be honest,” Stutzle said. “I don’t care about that at all.”

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Stutzle was surprised by the comment, but not nearly as shocked as Ottawa winger Drake Batherson. He skates with the 38-year-old Marchand in Halifax in the summer and the two live within a slapshot of each other on a lake.

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Batherson noted he was taken aback.

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“I texted him. I’m like, ‘Marchy, what are you doing?’ That’s just Marchy. He’s been doing that for years. I told Timmy. It’s all good,” Batherson said.

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So, what was Marchand’s reaction to the text?

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“He just started laughing,” Batherson said. “He’s been doing that stuff for 20 years. That’s just Marchy. I knew that, but everyone blew it out of context. That’s just Marchy being Marchy.”

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OTTAWA – Sept 8, 2026– Ottawa Senator Tim Stützle attending the Ottawa Senators Foundation Charity Open in Ottawa Monday. TONY CALDWELL, Postmedia. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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This did feel somewhat random and odd, though, after the Senators traded captain Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers during the off-season for four draft picks.

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It will help stoke the rivalry between the Senators and Panthers, which likely didn’t need any more fuel following Tkachuk’s departure.

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“Drake was calling me right after,” Stutzle said with a smile. “I don’t care. I think (Marchand’s) a great player. That’s what he is trying to do. He’s trying to get in other guys’ heads.

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“I respect him as a player, so I’m not too worried about it at all, to be honest.”

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