Player Discussion Nick Paul (LW)

[RAFI BOMB]

This seems like a make-or-break year for Paul with the Senators. It might be interesting to consider what upside he still may have and what the current thoughts are on him as a player.

He came into the organization as part of a trade that sent Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars. Spezza was traded for Alex Chiasson, Alex Guptill, Nick Paul and a 2nd round pick. So far almost none of the pieces in the trade really panned out. Chiasson struggled and was later traded for Patrick Sieloff. Guptill was traded for AHL players and the 2nd round pick was traded up to land Gabriel Gagne.

After the Senators acquired Paul he went on to have a strong season in the OHL with the North Bay Battalion where he put up 37 goals and 29 assists for 66 points in 58 games played. He also played in the WHC 20 tournament where he put up 3 goals in 7 games.

Paul looked like he had a lot of potential as a top six power forward playing either left wing or centre. He looked like he might turn into a Jamie Benn-Lite kind of player. But since then he has struggled to produce and has fallen down the depth chart.

He is still a big kid at 6'4 and 230 lbs, he still has good speed and mobility and he is fairly strong defensively. It seems like there is still some raw potential to be a top six forward but for some reason he hasn't put his tools together.

He will likely get a serious look in training camp considering he is part of the Spezza trade and he is waiver eligible this year. If he puts all of his tools together and has a great offseason what is the best we can expect from him? Does Paul still have the raw ability to be a top six forward? Could he surprise and be a quality middle six forward this year? What does he need to improve to really take that next step in his game? What does he need to improve drastically this offseason to remain relevant? Or is the best that can be expected at this point for Paul to be a big bodied 4th line winger?

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[Do Make Say Think]

Feels like I have been saying make or break for Paul for a while.

One last time I guess?

 

[Answer]

I have practically moved on from him some time ago

The only hope I have from our prospect pool are Thachuk, Brown and Formenton

 

[Do Make Say Think]

I have practically moved on from him some time ago

The only hope I have from our prospect pool are Thachuk, Brown and Formenton

Jaros? Batherson? Gustafsson?

 

[BondraTime]

Jaros? Batherson? Gustafsson?

JBD, Tychonik, White, etc.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

have not confirmed

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I haven't given up on him but I also don't ever expect him to be an impact player. I thought he was fine in a 4th line role last year in very limited time. His faceoff percentage was 25% in that small sample size. He was one of the best faceoff men in the OHL, so if he can develop that part of his game, someone will find a role for him in the NHL to win draws and kill penalties on a fourth line.

His hands are good enough to score but he's not gonna be creating space for himself. He should be good enough to take space that's given to him though.

I think a big problem for him is he's bulked up too much. He's freaking massive, I've seen him around Kanata. It probably hurts his skating. If I were him I'd be cutting weight all summer and practicing draws as much as humanly possible. Call up Chris Kelly and work with him.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I haven't given up on him but I also don't ever expect him to be an impact player. I thought he was fine in a 4th line role last year in very limited time. His faceoff percentage was 25% in that small sample size. He was one of the best faceoff men in the OHL, so if he can develop that part of his game, someone will find a role for him in the NHL to win draws and kill penalties on a fourth line.

His hands are good enough to score but he's not gonna be creating space for himself. He should be good enough to take space that's given to him though.

I think a big problem for him is he's bulked up too much. He's freaking massive, I've seen him around Kanata. It probably hurts his skating.

I think he has to be more physical and harder to play against.. He has a good shot.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Hard to be physical when you can't keep up.

Losing weight seems like a good call FQL.

 

[IlTerrifico]

I hope he can develop into Patrick Maroon light. Seeing him in the rink he works as hard as anyone, but at 230 you need to instill the fear of God in opponents as a weapon. If that means selecting a few 200 pound guys to scrap with, so be it. If you can't win more than you lose against guys 30 pounds lighter to get a bit of a reputation, either your not athletic enough for the league, or you don't want it bad enough.

I hope he sees the multi-million dollar difference between selling out, or playing it safe and staying out of the big leagues.

 

[Sensinitis]

Not so bold prediction: Formenton and Chlapik outplay him for open LW and C spots.

 

[OmniSens]

I've kinda given up on him... Too many players ahead of him, he has no chance.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

He reminds me a bit of Colin Greening in that he doesn't use his size to his advantage. If Paul developed a nasty streak he could make more of an impact just given his size and frame. He seems physically imposing out there relative to other NHL players but he needs a mean streak. It also seems like his acceleration is lacking more than his speed. There are still some good pucks skills there but he struggles to put it together in games. He has looked very good in intra-squad scrimmages in training camp over the last few years and he looked like he fit in well with established top six forwards. But last year during his NHL call up he looked too anxious with the puck and seemed to struggle to make and receive passes. Maybe that was because he was playing with Dumont though.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Not so bold prediction: Formenton and Chlapik outplay him for open LW and C spots.

I think they will try to be patient with Formenton. He could possibly play as early as next year but it might impact his upside. If he goes back and dominates junior he could end up as a more impactful player in the long run. Shean Donovan talked about this at the development camp.

 

[Philadelphia Collins]

have not confirmed

Even Nick Pauls given up on himself smh

 

[aragorn]

I have always been of the opinion that Paul would be a bottom six player & still hold that position. The reason he has not been called up sooner was because Ottawa had too many crappy players to try out last yr that used to play for GB somewhere & he has had a few injuries at inopportune times. This could be the yr that PD finally makes some roster room for some younger players & IMO Paul should be one of them. I think Paul would make an excellent 4th line centre or left wing in the Paul Gaustad mould but he needs to play with a lot more physicality & grit & be great at faceoffs.

However, this coach is the big concern for me, he seems to have his mind set on what kind of players he wants in his system like Thompson, Pyatt, DiDo & Dumont who all took roster spots away from younger players throughout last season. They also played some AHL vets down the wire like Burgdoerfer, Sieloff, Shore, Sexton & JOB that also took games away from legitimate prospects. They need to rid themselves of all of these guys & a few more to open the organization to prospects & players who actually have NHL potential & I wouldn't let GB make any of those decisions. Hope he gets fired this yr.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Even Nick Pauls given up on himself smh

What makes you say that?

 

[TheBradyBunch]

I think the reason we haven't seen much of Paul at the NHL level is that the team is still holding onto the hope that he might still become a top 9 forward. If they were resigned to him being a 4th liner, I think he'd have been a regular by the end of the year.

He does have untapped potential but it's looking more and more like he will never reach that potential. He has always looked solid to me in the NHL though and I think he could have provided more than some of the guys we've had in the lineup these past two seasons. The fact that he has only improved marginally in the AHL from year-to-year is somewhat disappointing but I think at this point it's make or break time for him. Take significant strides (quickly) or accept that he will be nothing more than a 4th liner for the foreseeable future at least.

 

[robsenz]

ugh that Spezza trade.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Probably his last contract with the org., but can't fault the team for giving him this last chance at such a low price.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Feels like I have been saying make or break for Paul for a while.

One last time I guess?

I think it is more like broke. It would really surprise me to see Paul pan out. I mean it takes time for power forwards to develop, but he just doesn't seem to understand the NHL. He could be a late bloomer though. It would be nice to say we didn't completely lose the trade for Spezza. Either way, we are going to lose the Karlsson trade even if some massive pieces come back.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

I think it is more like broke. It would really surprise me to see Paul pan out. I mean it takes time for power forwards to develop, but he just doesn't seem to understand the NHL. He could be a late bloomer though. It would be nice to say we didn't completely lose the trade for Spezza. Either way, we are going to lose the Karlsson trade even if some massive pieces come back.

Just curious, what are your thoughts on Perron?

 

[DylanSensFan]

Just curious, what are your thoughts on Perron?

I wouldn't take my opinion as the gospel as there are many on here who watch more and know more than me about our team and prospects. But from what I've seen, Perron knows how to go to the net and has a pretty wicked shot. I would say he has a good chance of playing in the NHL, even if it is only bottom 6.

Paul is likely similar. But since he was expected to do more, he will likely have a hard time staying in the NHL. Skating wise I think Perron is obviously better.

 

[derriko]

I agree with whoever said he could be a 4th liner right now, but the team is keeping him down in the minors to try and see if he can tap any of that offensive potential he has.

I think he’s an NHL player for sure. Cutting weight in exchange for speed and acceleration would do wonders for his game. What’s all that muscle worth when you don’t even hit?

 

[Peptic Balcers]

Well he's turning 24 this year. This is supposed to be his career peak season, if he doesn't take a step forward this season its unlikely that he ever will. No pressure!