Player Discussion Michael Del Zotto signs 2 year contract with Ottawa, $2M AAV

[bert]

I don't think what you're saying here about Brannstrom jives with my memory and it doesn't jive with the data that i just spent 15 minutes looking at

Mete getting the hard minutes when Chabot was out. That was 3 games at the end of the year. Here's a different view of that situation: Brannstrom was playing 5 on 5 with Zub after they moved Reilly. That's a pairing they're looking at for this season. Moving Brannstrom to play with Zaitsev in Chabot's absence accomplishes basically nothing if the view from the bench is you're good with the Zaitsev Chabot pair this year.

Brannstrom and Mete played 13 games together at years end. Chabot didn't play the last 3. If you zero in on the 10 they played where Chabot also played, it's pretty clear that Mete was playing the sheltered minutes.

I will be quite surprised to see Mete playing ahead of Brannstrom. In those 13 games, Brannstrom played a lot more PP, Mete played a lot more PK. Which of those situations do you think DJ is good with? The small guy playing PP or PK?

Brannstrom got eaten alive on the forcheck its only going to get tougher in playoff time. Bad decisions with the puck, didnt have the speed to get back and break out. Mete played more when Chabot got hurt overall. I dont really know how someone didnt see how much Brannstrom struggled it was pretty obvious. Brannstrom is much better offensively, no debate, he was good on the pp. At this point I just dont think he can defend at the nhl level. There is no way that Brannstrom was better defensively or at breaking out the puck than Mete.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Don't know why people got their knickers twisted on this signing. I see a team that cycled through defensemen last year playing a shortened season looking ahead and thinking we're probably going at least 10 deep on D this year over 82 games. Doesn't hurt to have guys with lots of playing experience to play minutes when the going gets tough. Bonus, it doesn't hurt us from a cap perspective because we're still working on projecting contracts for all the great young players in the system and the guys we got (MDZ, Holden) don't require any long term commitment.

My concern is that we see a repeat of last year.

DJ Smith goes with the veterans (Coburn over Brannstrom; J. Brown and Gud over Zub) to start the year and we go 2-12-1 (or something like that). Bye bye meaningful hockey the rest of the season. I'm concerned that our D lineup will be:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Holden - Zub
MDZ- J. Brown
Brannstrom
Mete

instead of:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Zub (they were excellent together down the stretch)
Mete/Holden - Brown/JBD

To me the latter is a far better lineup. MDZ does little to improve any NHL lineup. If we hadn't acquired Holden I'd be more receptive to this signing but this just seems so similar to the vet loading we did last year. Lots of vets but no real quality.

But hey, maybe MDZ plays great; some Jackets fans were high on his play last year.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

Brannstrom got eaten alive on the forcheck its only going to get tougher in playoff time. Bad decisions with the puck, didnt have the speed to get back and break out. Mete played more when Chabot got hurt overall. I dont really know how someone didnt see how much Brannstrom struggled it was pretty obvious. Brannstrom is much better offensively, no debate, he was good on the pp. At this point I just dont think he can defend at the nhl level. There is no way that Brannstrom was better defensively or at breaking out the puck than Mete.

Mete was better breaking out overall but Brannstrom is a better passer including breakout passing. Mete is really good at skating the puck out of trouble.

Both struggle with some elements of the game but both are young. Brannstrom is 21 and has played less than one full season in the NHL. He showed improvement throughout the year. To me it would seem unwise to make any declarations about any player in his scenario. Especially give that without Brannstrom we have exactly one NHL defenseman who excels at moving the puck and creating offense.

 

[Sweatred]

Brannstrom got eaten alive on the forcheck its only going to get tougher in playoff time. Bad decisions with the puck, didnt have the speed to get back and break out. Mete played more when Chabot got hurt overall. I dont really know how someone didnt see how much Brannstrom struggled it was pretty obvious. Brannstrom is much better offensively, no debate, he was good on the pp. At this point I just dont think he can defend at the nhl level. There is no way that Brannstrom was better defensively or at breaking out the puck than Mete.

I don’t know … you said this type “I don’t know how anyone “ type stuff about Wolanin vs Z or whoever and we know how that went.

Brann’s the better player with a better ceiling.

 

[Big Muddy]

I just hope that MDZ turns out to be a better acquisition than Stepan did. Fingers crossed.

Given that its a 2 year contract, having him pushed down the lineup in less than a year will not be viewed as a good result I'd think. Can't use that excuse (it was the plan) if that were to occur. The idea that if the player is not good, therefore he must have been acquired to be a leader and mentor is pretty frail. I'm sure some older vet players can also simultaneously be good or decent players as well. That wasn't Stepan though who was not good at hockey LOL.

 

[Micklebot]

I don’t know … you said this type “I don’t know how anyone “ type stuff about Wolanin vs Z or whoever and we know how that went.

Brann’s the better player with a better ceiling.

I didn't like Mete in his time with MTL, but I do think he played better defensively than Brannstrom (and worse offensively). Methot brought up a good point about him, players sometimes tend to play out of their mind right after joining a new team only to regress back to their norm after. Methot said that as someone who had Mete ahead of Brannstrom too. There's some risk there that he isn't the player we saw finish the year, and I'd agree that long term Brannstrom has a lot more potential.

If there's an odd man out it's Mete imo.

 

[The Waffler]

I just hope that MDZ turns out to be a better acquisition than Stepan did. Fingers crossed.

Given that its a 2 year contract, having him pushed down the lineup in less than a year will not be viewed as a good result I'd think. Can't use that excuse (it was the plan) if that were to occur. The idea that if the player is not good, therefore he must have been acquired to be a leader and mentor is pretty frail. I'm sure some older vet players can also simultaneously be good or decent players as well. That wasn't Stepan though who was not good at hockey LOL.

We never traded a 2nd for Del Zotto so it’s already miles better than the Stepan acquisition in my book.

 

[Sweatred]

I didn't like Mete in his time with MTL, but I do think he played better defensively than Brannstrom (and worse offensively). Methot brought up a good point about him, players sometimes tend to play out of their mind right after joining a new team only to regress back to their norm after. Methot said that as someone who had Mete ahead of Brannstrom too. There's some risk there that he isn't the player we saw finish the year, and I'd agree that long term Brannstrom has a lot more potential.

If there's an odd man out it's Mete imo.

That’s fair - I go back to the candid MTL fan claims … he gets by in his own end but can’t do anything inside the opposing blue line.

He doesn’t do anything that Sanderson, Chabot, Zub, Bran, etc can’t do equally well or better.

 

[swiftwin]

I don't think his offensive capabilities were ever in question. My biggest concern is for majority of the season, he didn't have the speed, or positioning to make up for his lack of size, and would often take bad minors as a result of getting beat. He simply couldn't defend at the NHL level. Now he did get better as the season went on, and by the end, he seemed to be doing alright. But I'm hoping he finds some consistency and stability in his defensive game.

On top of this, my other big concern is that this leads to him getting rocked by huge hits pretty regularly. I think this is the biggest reason DJ doesn't want to play him on the right side. It would make it even harder on him physically. I'm already worried about injuries catching up to him.

 

[bert]

My concern is that we see a repeat of last year.

DJ Smith goes with the veterans (Coburn over Brannstrom; J. Brown and Gud over Zub) to start the year and we go 2-12-1 (or something like that). Bye bye meaningful hockey the rest of the season. I'm concerned that our D lineup will be:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Holden - Zub
MDZ- J. Brown
Brannstrom
Mete

instead of:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Zub (they were excellent together down the stretch)
Mete/Holden - Brown/JBD

To me the latter is a far better lineup. MDZ does little to improve any NHL lineup. If we hadn't acquired Holden I'd be more receptive to this signing but this just seems so similar to the vet loading we did last year. Lots of vets but no real quality.

But hey, maybe MDZ plays great; some Jackets fans were high on his play last year.

I agree with this for the most part but I dont think Brannstrom is ready to play in the top 4 yet. Id like to see him on the 3rd pair with alot of O zone starts and pp time. I think one of Holden or MDZ fit better with Zub as they can use that as a matchup pair, might let Zub play a little more offensive too if he isnt the one having to cover for his partner. Holden was awesome for Vegas in the playoffs, only reason he didnt get more regular season games was his contract. They were above the cap and he was the one they move up and down. Come playoff time when there was no cap he played way more. He is a pretty useful player, really good at getting his shot through and hard to play against.

 

[aragorn]

It does seem like a repeat of last yr although we have saved a 2nd rd pick & hopefully these guys turn out to be a better fit & play better than last yr's group. The team as a whole should all be better & most importantly the goaltending has to be better. However, the same applies in that they are going to want to see how these new acquisitions do sooner rather than later which IMO pushes both Brannstrom & JBD down to Belleville because they are both waiver exempt.

Holden & J. Brown are both UFAs which I assume they will try & move by the TDL along with the other UFAs with the exception of Paul, I hope they keep for a while longer given what he has done to be where he is today. Chabot, Zaitsev & Zub aren't going anywhere & you would have to think that Holden gets a spot as should MDZ who has signed for 2 yrs. That leaves one spot which J. Brown could fill as the team's new resident tough guy & Mete if he re-signs as a depth or 7th D. Why would you bring in these guys if you were planning on playing the rookies?

Chabot - ??? - PP1
MDZ - Zub PP2 & PK2
Holden & J. Brown - PK1

 

[Cosmix]

Don't know why people got their knickers twisted on this signing. I see a team that cycled through defensemen last year playing a shortened season looking ahead and thinking we're probably going at least 10 deep on D this year over 82 games. Doesn't hurt to have guys with lots of playing experience to play minutes when the going gets tough. Bonus, it doesn't hurt us from a cap perspective because we're still working on projecting contracts for all the great young players in the system and the guys we got (MDZ, Holden) don't require any long term commitment.

No problem with adding DZ, however, DZ is probably not going to become the top RD this team needs to fulfill the FYOUS promise!

 

[Cosmix]

Apparentely Red Wing offer him 3 years

At what AAV?

 

[aragorn]

No problem with adding DZ, however, DZ is probably not going to become the top RD this team needs to fulfill the FYOUS promise!

MDZ is a left shot & plays LD not RD.

 

[Micklebot]

MDZ is a left shot & plays LD not RD.

Pretty sure he plays both sides actually. Same with Holden.

 

[aragorn]

Pretty sure he plays both sides actually. Same with Holden.

Probably do, but they are both left shots & with Zaitsev & Zub already here I doubt either of those two play the right side. The need is on the left side where Ottawa is young, small & soft. MDZ brings the experience & Holden brings the muscle as does J. Brown when it's needed. And the way this team wants to play they will need as much muscle as they can in the lineup to fight back.

 

[Ouroboros]

You can't send Brannstrom to Belleville next season. I'm not even much of a fan of the guy, but you can't do that. He won't develop down there - he has progressed beyond that point in his career. He needs NHL reps to become and NHL player. Not only that, but you pretty much tank his value as an asset by burying him in the AHL.

I feel like MDZ is most likely going to be used as a puck moving option on RD behind Zaitsev and Zub. Gives us a different look on that side of the ice. Holden is probably going to be his partner most nights.

Probably carry 8D to start the season, but Brown and Mete will be in tough to get a lot of reps.

Chabot-Zaitsev
Brannstrom-Zub
Holden-MDZ
Mete
Brown

 

[Sensmileletsgo]

You can't send Brannstrom to Belleville next season. I'm not even much of a fan of the guy, but you can't do that. He won't develop down there - he has progressed beyond that point in his career. He needs NHL reps to become and NHL player. Not only that, but you pretty much tank his value as an asset by burying him in the AHL.

I feel like MDZ is most likely going to be used as a puck moving option on RD behind Zaitsev and Zub. Gives us a different look on that side of the ice. Holden is probably going to be his partner most nights.

Probably carry 8D to start the season, but Brown and Mete will be in tough to get a lot of reps.

Chabot-Zaitsev
Brannstrom-Zub
Holden-MDZ
Mete
Brown

Would it really be that bad for Brannstrom to get 25 mins a night in Belleville for the first few months of the season? He’s only 21.

 

[Micklebot]

Probably do, but they are both left shots & with Zaitsev & Zub already here I doubt either of those two play the right side. The need is on the left side where Ottawa is young, small & soft. MDZ brings the experience & Holden brings the muscle as does J. Brown when it's needed. And the way this team wants to play they will need as much muscle as they can in the lineup to fight back.

And if one of our 3 RHD get hurt, or if JBrown plays poorly?

I suspect we'll take the six guys playing the best hockey, and if that entails bumping Brown out of the lineup and having a LHD on the right side then so be it. I wouldn't write off a guy like Holden or MDZ playing the right side just yet.

 

[Ouroboros]

Would it really be that bad for Brannstrom to get 25 mins a night in Belleville for the first few months of the season? He’s only 21.

It would be a big step backwards. He played over 16 minutes a night last year in the NHL, he needs to build on that. Going back to a lower level of hockey that he has already excelled at won't benefit him.

He's been a pro for 5 years, and it's his draft+5 season. If he goes to the AHL because of performance... that's a bad sign.

 

[jbeck5]

Lmao I laughed at his interview on the radio where he said he's very versatile and can do it all because he used to do the offensive role and now does the defensive role.

He can't do it all. The reason he does that defensive role is because he can't do the offensive role anymore.

 

[Cosmix]

Would it really be that bad for Brannstrom to get 25 mins a night in Belleville for the first few months of the season? He’s only 21.

I agree. Plus think of the salary cost savings for Melnyk.

 

[Ice-Tray]

My concern is that we see a repeat of last year.

DJ Smith goes with the veterans (Coburn over Brannstrom; J. Brown and Gud over Zub) to start the year and we go 2-12-1 (or something like that). Bye bye meaningful hockey the rest of the season. I'm concerned that our D lineup will be:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Holden - Zub
MDZ- J. Brown
Brannstrom
Mete

instead of:

Chabot - Zaitsev
Brannstrom - Zub (they were excellent together down the stretch)
Mete/Holden - Brown/JBD

To me the latter is a far better lineup. MDZ does little to improve any NHL lineup. If we hadn't acquired Holden I'd be more receptive to this signing but this just seems so similar to the vet loading we did last year. Lots of vets but no real quality.

But hey, maybe MDZ plays great; some Jackets fans were high on his play last year.

This is simply not true, let’s not make this another Sens myth going forward when we got explanations for both situations last season.

The reason Branstrom didn’t play to start the year was an extended Covid quarantine followed by the team being across the country on the road. He was slated, and played, as soon as the team returned.

Zub, didn’t speak a lick of English, and was settling into a new country and new culture with a new language, he was given some time to learn and acclimatize before being put into the line up.

Those two guys where not benched so that other defenders could play, they played as soon as both were deemed ready to hit the line up based on their two unique situations.

As for being concerned, it’s mid summer, why not see what happens in camp before getting worked up about potential lineup issues?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

It would be a big step backwards. He played over 16 minutes a night last year in the NHL, he needs to build on that. Going back to a lower level of hockey that he has already excelled at won't benefit him.

He's been a pro for 5 years, and it's his draft+5 season. If he goes to the AHL because of performance... that's a bad sign.

If they plan on going 10 games where Brannstrom is on the outside looking in... I would send him down just to keep him playing games.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

This is simply not true, let’s not make this another Sens myth going forward when we got explanations for both situations last season.

The reason Branstrom didn’t play to start the year was an extended Covid quarantine followed by the team being across the country on the road. He was slated, and played, as soon as the team returned.

Zub, didn’t speak a lick of English, and was settling into a new country and new culture with a new language, he was given some time to learn and acclimatize before being put into the line up.

Those two guys where not benched so that other defenders could play, they played as soon as both were deemed ready to hit the line up based on their two unique situations.

As for being concerned, it’s mid summer, why not see what happens in camp before getting worked up about potential lineup issues?

Nobody is getting worked up, but it's a concern.

And while Brannstrom missed training camp with the team, the rest is just excuses. Did Zub learn English in one month? And it took ~35 games for Gudbranson to be healthy scratched. He was given top line minutes to start the year as well. He was clearly the coach's preferred option coming out of camp.

And a guy like Wolanin could have played in place of Coburn who, outside of a couple of games, was a pylon.

The preference for veterans was evident last year. And it was at least partially responsible for our poor start.

I'm not saying it WILL happen again but the acquisitions we've made this summer certainly leave that possibility open.