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Cynics have good reason to wonder if those switches constituted little more than shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic.

Both units have been abysmal, major reasons why the Senators (12-17-8) sit 29th in the National Hockey League’s overall standings.

The power play ranks 25th in the 31-team league at 15.9 per cent. The penalty kill, which allowed three goals in Saturday’s 5-0 loss to the Boston Bruins, is 27th at 77.1 per cent.

Still, why not try something new?

Adding Chabot to the first unit, alongside captain Erik Karlsson, is long overdue. “(Chabot) seems more and more comfortable,” Boucher said.

Once the Senators set up inside the opposition blue line, Chabot will serve as the quarterback atop an umbrella formation. Karlsson will move closer to the faceoff circles on the left side and winger Mark Stone slides towards the circles on the right side.

“It frees Erik from having to be there and it puts Erik in an area where he can be even more dangerous,” Boucher said.

Naturally, Chabot is keen on anything that gives him more ice time and a chance to become a regular on defence.

“I’m just trying to make the best out of it,” said Chabot, who has two goals and five assists in 18 games. “The main focus (Tuesday) was they wanted to make two good units. It looked pretty good in practice. It was working pretty well and we were making some good plays.”

If the season plays out with the Senators’ top prospects receiving increased ice time in critical situations, giving them a head-start on 2018-19, Chabot is among those who could benefit most.