JBucephalus
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2013
- 491
- 0
Let me preface this by saying that these are just my personal observations and that I think Karlsson was the correct choice for captain in a season where not much was expected of our team. Management clearly sees him as our future so he can learn a lot this season without the pressure of overly high expectations. His evolution as a player and captain will be interesting to say the least. Also I am interested to hear this board’s thoughts on this subject(regardless of whether or not you agree).
Erik Karlsson: He appears to be our main offensive catalyst as of right now and he is certainly adept at it. He is masterful when he’s controlling the puck at the opponents blueline, churning his skates and getting shots through to the net(something I did not see as much last season, even though I think we have all become accustomed to that attribute from his earlier seasons). It seems to me that he shoots low most of the time, attempting to get it on net for a rebound or for a deflection. That contributes to his low shooting %. I would love to see him use his slapshot a bit more but I have no real complaints about his offensive side of the game. With that said, we are certainly going to need an upgraded top 9, with regards to scoring, to help Karlsson shoulder the load and minimize the amount of risky plays he feels are necessary. His point totals are astounding for a defenseman but when we are ready to contend for the playoffs, and as Karlsson continues to grow as a player, we are going to see his TOI and point totals go down. If it helps him give the team better quality minutes then I am all for it.
I think from a defensive aspect, that he is on the ice too often. We are really lacking in the quality Defenseman department and this may be the main reason behind his TOI, especially with Methot injured. High-risk plays are an integral part of his game and they lead to some beautiful plays, however he does feel it necessary to force some plays to try and jump start the offense. This leads to a higher amount of turnovers. I know he has the capability to play solid on the defensive side of the puck, but it doesn’t always seem like the effort is there. Maybe his Achilles injury is still having an effect on his stamina, but I think anyone that has followed the Senators knows that he still has the ability to burst out and cover for a mistake he made or to jump up with the rush. He can still use those bursts to drive attackers wide. He can still use his stick to disrupt puck control and quickly force it the other way. So the capability is there. If he had his ice time cut by even 4 minutes I think we would see him be a lot more effective out there. This brings us to the rest of the D.
Phillips: It’s a real struggle out there for him right now. Age seems to have quickly caught up with him and it hurts to say that because he used to be such a stalwart d-man back there. He has been making a lot of unforced errors this season. There is no way he can handle 20+ minutes a night at this stage in his career. I think he would be much more capable as our 5-6 guy. The contract that he was given may not look good but we are a relatively young franchise and I think loyalty is a somewhat important aspect for us. Like it or not the big rig is a part of our legacy. Our loyalty to players may help to attract more lucrative free agents, although there is no way to really quantify that statement.
Borowiecki: I really like the way he plays the game but it seems his ceiling is more of a 3rd pairing D man and its clear that he is not capable of handling top pairing minutes. I do not think this team has “toughness†issues and Borowiecki is a big part of that. Everyone on this team seems willing to stand up for each other which was evidenced by Chiasson going after Sil.
Weircioch: Does not have very good foot speed but he can move the puck well and play capably on the back end in a limited role. Might like to see him more on our powerplay but he is an injury fill in and I think his ceiling is limited.
Gryba: He definitely has a noticeable physical presence some games and can play capable D. Much like Weircioch I do not think his ceiling is higher than injury fill-in or 3rd pairing.
Ceci: He has certainly panned out well so far although he is still young and can play very inconsistently. In a somewhat limited role he has been able to handle himself this year and I think going forward he will be an integral part of our Defense but he is not capable of being too much of a workhorse at the moment. I see him as a solid top 4 with definite offensive upside.
Cowen: He has struggled at times but I do not think we’re going to see him come into his own for another 2-3 years. I believe he has all the makings of a top 4 that can provide some assistance on the offensive side of the game. He also throws some pretty good checks and will back them up as we all saw in last night’s game against the Kings.
Methot: Not a lot of substance for his current season. I cannot see him being a part of our future as his back problems are concerning and he still may be asking for high-price or too long of term. I would like him to be back, as I think he is a solid partner for EK but the back can be very tricky.
In short, our defense as it is currently constructed is not capable of getting this team to the playoffs. I know as fans we have suffered through 8 years of inconsistent play but I can see some semblance of a plan. There are a lot of intriguing pieces on this team. Murray has a track record of moving pieces and I hope he is seriously considering Yandle even though the asking price would be high(unless they ask for this years first rounder). If Melnyk is willing to loosen up on the budget in the coming years, when Ceci and Cowen as well as a lot of our younger players solidify, then I think management will be capable of fixing the D to help us on the path to becoming a perennial playoff team again.
Erik Karlsson: He appears to be our main offensive catalyst as of right now and he is certainly adept at it. He is masterful when he’s controlling the puck at the opponents blueline, churning his skates and getting shots through to the net(something I did not see as much last season, even though I think we have all become accustomed to that attribute from his earlier seasons). It seems to me that he shoots low most of the time, attempting to get it on net for a rebound or for a deflection. That contributes to his low shooting %. I would love to see him use his slapshot a bit more but I have no real complaints about his offensive side of the game. With that said, we are certainly going to need an upgraded top 9, with regards to scoring, to help Karlsson shoulder the load and minimize the amount of risky plays he feels are necessary. His point totals are astounding for a defenseman but when we are ready to contend for the playoffs, and as Karlsson continues to grow as a player, we are going to see his TOI and point totals go down. If it helps him give the team better quality minutes then I am all for it.
I think from a defensive aspect, that he is on the ice too often. We are really lacking in the quality Defenseman department and this may be the main reason behind his TOI, especially with Methot injured. High-risk plays are an integral part of his game and they lead to some beautiful plays, however he does feel it necessary to force some plays to try and jump start the offense. This leads to a higher amount of turnovers. I know he has the capability to play solid on the defensive side of the puck, but it doesn’t always seem like the effort is there. Maybe his Achilles injury is still having an effect on his stamina, but I think anyone that has followed the Senators knows that he still has the ability to burst out and cover for a mistake he made or to jump up with the rush. He can still use those bursts to drive attackers wide. He can still use his stick to disrupt puck control and quickly force it the other way. So the capability is there. If he had his ice time cut by even 4 minutes I think we would see him be a lot more effective out there. This brings us to the rest of the D.
Phillips: It’s a real struggle out there for him right now. Age seems to have quickly caught up with him and it hurts to say that because he used to be such a stalwart d-man back there. He has been making a lot of unforced errors this season. There is no way he can handle 20+ minutes a night at this stage in his career. I think he would be much more capable as our 5-6 guy. The contract that he was given may not look good but we are a relatively young franchise and I think loyalty is a somewhat important aspect for us. Like it or not the big rig is a part of our legacy. Our loyalty to players may help to attract more lucrative free agents, although there is no way to really quantify that statement.
Borowiecki: I really like the way he plays the game but it seems his ceiling is more of a 3rd pairing D man and its clear that he is not capable of handling top pairing minutes. I do not think this team has “toughness†issues and Borowiecki is a big part of that. Everyone on this team seems willing to stand up for each other which was evidenced by Chiasson going after Sil.
Weircioch: Does not have very good foot speed but he can move the puck well and play capably on the back end in a limited role. Might like to see him more on our powerplay but he is an injury fill in and I think his ceiling is limited.
Gryba: He definitely has a noticeable physical presence some games and can play capable D. Much like Weircioch I do not think his ceiling is higher than injury fill-in or 3rd pairing.
Ceci: He has certainly panned out well so far although he is still young and can play very inconsistently. In a somewhat limited role he has been able to handle himself this year and I think going forward he will be an integral part of our Defense but he is not capable of being too much of a workhorse at the moment. I see him as a solid top 4 with definite offensive upside.
Cowen: He has struggled at times but I do not think we’re going to see him come into his own for another 2-3 years. I believe he has all the makings of a top 4 that can provide some assistance on the offensive side of the game. He also throws some pretty good checks and will back them up as we all saw in last night’s game against the Kings.
Methot: Not a lot of substance for his current season. I cannot see him being a part of our future as his back problems are concerning and he still may be asking for high-price or too long of term. I would like him to be back, as I think he is a solid partner for EK but the back can be very tricky.
In short, our defense as it is currently constructed is not capable of getting this team to the playoffs. I know as fans we have suffered through 8 years of inconsistent play but I can see some semblance of a plan. There are a lot of intriguing pieces on this team. Murray has a track record of moving pieces and I hope he is seriously considering Yandle even though the asking price would be high(unless they ask for this years first rounder). If Melnyk is willing to loosen up on the budget in the coming years, when Ceci and Cowen as well as a lot of our younger players solidify, then I think management will be capable of fixing the D to help us on the path to becoming a perennial playoff team again.
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