The wait can’t end soon enough for Guy Boucher.

The Senators’ coach has met with all but two of the players to discuss what he expects from them going into training camp and at this point he’d just like to get on the ice so the talk can turn to action.

He will attend his first NHL training camp next week since 2013 when he was in Tampa Bay after spending parts of the last three season in Bern, Switzerland.

“Right now, this is exciting,” Boucher said Monday night at the Royal Ottawa Golf Club as the sun set on a gorgeous day. “I’ll be honest with you, we’ve done lots of preparation and it’s enough now. We’ve prepared a lot and we feel really strongly about our preparation.

“It was conscious decision to go to Europe. It was for the family. We saw a lot of things. For the family, it was a great cultural experience and hockey-wise I saw things that you don’t see here. It just gives us something more. Hopefully, we can tap into. It was time. I told my wife, ‘I gotta get back. I know we’re doing this for the family and it’s all nice but I couldn’t commit to Bern for three more years. You work so hard to get here. It’s the best players in the world, the best coaches in the world and you want to be part of that.”

Boucher has been pleased with the changes GM Pierre Dorion has made. He was thrilled the club acquired centre Derick Brassard from the New York Rangers in exchange for Mika Zibanejad in July, plus likes the options he has with the signing of free agent forward Tom Pyatt and veteran centre Chris Kelly.

With a healthy Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur plus the depth up front, Boucher believes the club’s special teams can improve.

“I’m really happy with more tools in my toolbox to be able to switch things around and to be able to have different guys having different roles and that means not overtaxing some guys to have to do everything,” Boucher said.

Boucher is ready for the next step.

“I love pressure. I love the challenge and I really believe in the players that we have right now,” Boucher said. “Before I even start, the fact we’ve sat down with almost everyone, and we will with everybody, getting to know everyone is the first step. It’s about people. It’s not about the players. It’s about getting to know people and we’ll move from there.

“I want to start now with our camp. Getting into drills with systems and meetings. I’m not going to wait until after young guys are cut. We’re starting right now. That hopefully makes a difference.”

LINING UP ALL RIGHT

Brassard is gearing up for his first Sens camp. He has already had a chance to sit down with Boucher to discuss his role. He hinted he’d start camp with Bobby Ryan and MacArthur. “That’s probably the plan right now,” Brassard said. “If I start with Bobby and Clarke, we can find some really good chemistry together. We have a little bit of everything on that line. Clarke is coming off an injury and he’s probably going to be pretty excited to play this year. He’s probably going to have something to prove and I’m a new guy here and I’m going to have something to prove his well. It’s the same thing for Bobby. One thing I noticed in New York when we had success, you need a top nine, you don’t need a top six and you need four lines rolling all the time. We’re just going to try to get some production.” Being at home is a different and exciting for the Gatineau native. “It’s nice to be here,” Brassard said. “We have a good group of guys here and I believe in this group and I believe that we can do something special. I’m just going to try to fit in and try to have good chemistry with whoever I play with.”

GETTING A LETTER?

You can expect veteran defenceman Dion Phaneuf to play a big leadership role and don’t be surprised if he’s one of the players that wears an ‘A’. How important is the former Toronto Maple Leafs captain? Well, Boucher travelled to Phaneuf’s P.E.I home for his meeting. “He’s a huge part of the puzzle. I think the fact he’s going to be able to start the beginning of the year along with MacArthur — who everybody knows was a big piece on this team — plus now you bring in Chris Kelly and Brassard was part of the leadership in New York ... I think we’ve grown our leadership core,” Boucher said. “Everything rises and falls on leadership. In a way, this year is a big leadership year. A lot of players are ready for it — guys like Mark Stone aren’t young anymore and he’s going to be asked to be part of that leadership core.” Asked if Phaneuf will wear a letter, Boucher said: “I will answer you soon but I need to talk with my leadership core. We’re definitely not looking to take something away from people but if we’re able to add we’ll do that. Letter or not letter, it’s clear Phaneuf is going to be gigantic part of this team.”