I'm a little late to the party but I just wanted to congratulate you guys on the trade. I think it is a good fit and a good spot for Methot. I like that he found a team that isn't rebuilding and a role where he will likely show his strengths.
In fact, I suggested Dallas as a good spot for him before expansion. I just figured that Dallas would never offer anything to make it worthwhile for the Sens. Turns out I was right!
Scouting Report: (For those that don't watch the east often)
1. He's a good skater both directions, but he stands out skating backwards and turning his himself with the play. Really smooth transitions back and forth. He only really lacks speed or "jump", but rarely gets burned by it because he doesn't let the play get behind him.
2. He rarely steps-up into the offensive zone. When he has the puck at the line, he'll be thinking pass and won't shoot it. Extremely conservative in that regard. He's smart though, and he'll step up on transitions, etc.. when there is a forward switching onto the ice or he has some backup.
3. No breakout skills, which is why he has no points, but he's extremely efficient with the puck. He doesn't even look for a pass to a forward a lot of times, he simply looks to draw a fore-checker and then turn it over to Karlsson/whoever to make a play. Not greedy in that regard. This is why Kingberg will be a good partner. If he got pressured too much or Karlsson was tied up, he would usually do something conservative like flip it forward and take a change or tie it up along the boards rather than risk a bad turnover in the defensive zone. He doesn't have any puck skills like a forward, but he does have defensive puck skills where he can chip, flip, bounce, and fire the puck around the boards as well as anyone.
4. He's got good size/strength and he's a good defender 1 vs 1. He's got some fire to his game too and he'll defend teammates in scrums.
5. He does have an injury history, but I wouldn't be worried. He'll miss games when his back goes wonky but it doesn't seem to have a negative long-term impact when he gets back. It sucks when he's gone, but when he comes back it never seems to linger and he doesn't seem to be slowing down with age. If he was still a Sen at 34, there was room on the team, and his contract demands were reasonable, I would have had no problem extending him if that makes sense? Basically, injuries age seem like a non-issue at this point.
Best of luck. I'm sure you'll like him as much as the Sens did! Also, keep in mind, if Hitchcock puts him with another defensive guy instead of Klingberg, Methot will manage just fine. Ottawa did the same thing sometimes when Karlsson was out and he does fine.
