Thomas Chabot is going to have to be patient while waiting for his NHL debut.

It’s coming, he’ll just have to wait until Monday or Tuesday.

Senators coach Guy Boucher confirmed Friday he’s not going to make any changes to his lineup with the Montreal Canadiens in town at the Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday night, which means the 19-year-old defencemen will be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.

While Chabot, the club’s top pick in 2015, had an impressive training camp, Boucher has decided to stick with Chris Wideman on the third pairing with Mark Borowiecki after the Senators opened the season with a 5-4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night at home.

But Boucher promised that Chabot, who has to be returned to junior if he isn’t kept in the NHL, will suit up either Monday at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit or Tuesday vs. the Arizona Coyotes at home.

“He’s a young guy. He will need to play to see if he’s ready,” Boucher said. “And, if he’s ready he’ll stay and if he’s not ready, he won’t stay.”

Boucher said the Senators can’t afford to let Chabot learn on the job.

“That’s why if he’s not ready, he won’t stay. We gave him a chance to grasp things, mentally, physically, emotionally and collectively,” Boucher added. “He gets all of it so when he plays he’s got all the tools and attributes and preparation to be at his best.

“We’ll see from there. We like a lot of things he is and does but like I said it’s not a development league, it’s a performance league.”

Chabot had an impressive training camp and made the roster because he was one of the club’s seven best blueliners.

He is biding his time and being patient. Yes, of course he’d like to play, but he’s got a long career ahead of him and if he isn’t kept in Ottawa then he’s got the chance to go back to Saint John in the QMJHL, dominate and get the opportunity to play for Team Canada at the world junior championship.

“I’m trying to stay positive,” said Chabot. “I’m just trying hard every day to get better and better. I’m trying to show the coaches that I can play.”

There is no rush where Chabot is concerned until he plays his 10th game in the NHL. That’s when his contract officially kicks in and the next threshold is the 40th game when a year of eligibility for waivers is lost.

The Senators liked what they saw from Chabot in camp, which is why he’s still here and not back with his junior team.

“His poise with the puck is really good and it’s not about that right now for him,” Boucher said. “Is he able to defend and be consistent so that we’re able to have a complete player and a guy that’s ready for the NHL?”

It would make sense, judging by the schedule, for Chabot to play Tuesday vs. Arizona.

LAST CALL IN BINGO

The Binghamton Senators will play their last home opener at the Broome County Arena on Saturday night against the Hershey Bears.

Next year, the franchise will be moved to Belleville, but while there’s a tinge of sadness there’s still plenty of excitement for the club’s AHL affiliate. This is also coach Kurt Kleinendorst’s return to the bench for the first time since he left in 2012 after the club missed the post-season.

Kleinendorst, who coached in Germany last year, won an AHL championship with Binghamton 2011.

“For the most part, it’s been an awesome honeymoon. The people are great,” Kleinendorst said Friday from Binghamton. “It’s such a small community and they’re very disappointed that the Senators are leaving but they understand.

“It’s been amazing. I can’t go anywhere that somebody hasn’t said, ‘It’s so good to have you back and looking forward to the year. Good luck.’”

As part of the relationship between Kleinendorst and the Senators, he had just gotten off the phone with associate coach Marc Crawford. He’s acting as a liason for Ottawa to make sure the AHL team is using the same system the coaching staff has instituted here and the lines of communication are open.

“That’s just been tremendous for us,” Kleinendorst said.

Goaltender Chris Driedger will get the start ahead of Matt O’Connor for Game 1 mostly because of the way they both performed in camp.

“It’s because he deserves it. We have two good goalies but if you evaluate their training camp from day one, they’ve both been good, but (Driedger) has been a little bit better,” Kleinendorst said.

This will also be winger Curtis Lazar’s debut in the AHL. The 21-year-old, who missed most of camp with mono, was sent down Monday and he’s arrived in Binghamton with a good attitude.

“He’s embraced this and he’s actually excited about it,” Kleinendorst said. “I told him, at the end of the day, life is all about experiences. Everybody should experience the American Hockey League. It would be great if every NHL player spent some time in the AHL because then you can really appreciate the NHL and what it takes down here.

“It’s going to really make him appreciate when he gets back to the NHL what these guys go through. He’s going to be a captain someday, he’s that kind of kid, and this experience in the AHL will help make him a better captain because when guys come up he’ll respect what they went through to get there.”