The pairing of Phillips & Gryba were not very good whether that is due to not playing together before or poor decision making by one of them but who knows. Fact is that Gryba has been playing very well since being called up with the exception of last night & we have been hearing this from a number of sources. Gryba RD is a defensive defenceman so we don't expect him to put up a lot of points but instead reduce the number of goals against. Seeing how Ottawa has one of the lowest goals against in the league this yr which is a huge turn around from last season I would say that Gryba RD has helped a lot in that area. Should be interesting if Murray re-signs Gonchar (plays the right side) for a yr, personally I doubt it but you never know. Karlsson, Gonchar & Gryba on the right side is not such a bad thing either. Although I don't think it will take Ceci RD long to find his way to Ottawa next yr.
Wiercioch is an offensive defenceman & has shown that with some terrific passes & goals. His weakness is obvious & that is that he needs to put on more muscle & weight to clear those big bodies from in front of the net & be better defensively overall. The good news is that you can teach defence but you can't teach size & he has plenty of size & a good frame to add more muscle. He is going to be a top 4 player on this team even when Karlsson & Cowen return next season & help out on the PP. I also think that his minutes need to be controlled because I'm not sure he has the stamina to stay out to long especially if he has been wrestling with guys in front of the net, that can be exhausting. Wiercioch LD could be fighting Phillips LD for ice time next season while Cowen LD & Methot LD should be permanent fixtures on the left side next yr.
IMO both Gryba & Wiercioch are keepers & they should be paired together at some point. This seems like a pretty big & good defence group for the future of this team, then add some of the guys who could be called up from Bingo like Sdao, Blood, Fransoo, Rutkowski, Wideman or Benoit, if he is re-signed. Not bad.
Methot - Karlsson
Cowen - Ceci
Wiercioch - Gryba/Boroweicki