FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-Another big night for some individual players but a loss for the team. The ideal scenario at this stage of the season. Four Senators had three point nights including Karlsson, Duchene, Hoffman and Chabot. Christian Wolanin scored his first in the National Hockey League and Chabot had the first two goal game of his career. In the case of Erik Karlsson, the 3 point night brought him to 62 points on the season which ties Mark Stone for the team lead. Despite the standout performances, the Senators just couldn’t contain a high-flying Jets attack and every time it seemed like they might force their way back into the game, Winnipeg would respond. Frig. The Senators remain in 30th place with just three games to go.
-So he picked up the puck. You’ll have to excuse Sens fans if the sight of a Captain and fan favourite picking up the puck at the end of the game has us all a little on edge. Daniel Alfredsson did the same thing following Game 4 against the Penguins in the 2013 playoffs and he never played for the team again. Realistically, it’s an indication that Erik Karlsson has no idea how things will play out this summer and he’d like to have the puck just in case. And that’s fair. Based on what we’ve heard from the organization in the last few weeks, it seems like their plan is to make Karlsson an offer on July 1st but their rumoured actions leading up to the deadline suggest they were seriously considering a trade. But does Karlsson picking up the puck mean he’s definitely leaving? Probably not.
-When Christian Wolanin joined the team at the end of his NCAA season in North Dakota, it was with the reputation as an offensive defenceman. A lot of the people that watched him on a regular basis suggested that while offence was his strength, he might need some time to adjust to defending at the NHL level. The offensive instincts were apparent from the get go but it’s his all-around game that has been so impressive. He’s confident with the puck on his stick, makes good reads in his own end and has the patience of a veteran in the league. Goals like the one he scored last night are going to be a regular occurrence but his game has been impressive at both ends of the rink. Looks like he could seriously challenge for a spot next year.
-Thomas Chabot’s rookie season is turning into a fascinating case study in player development. The Senators have been intentionally careful with him this year opting for additional seasoning in the AHL despite signs he might be ready to make the jump. As the season has progressed though, the coaching staff has given him additional responsibility and he has responded well. There are those that will say he could have been playing 20 minutes a night all year while the organization will probably tell you it’s because they brought him along slowly. Either way, he’s going to be a special player. Chabot now has 9 goals on the year which ties him for the goal scoring lead among rookie defenceman. He has played over 20 minutes in 8 of the last 9 games too.
-Alex Formenton’s season with the London Knights came to an end over the season and he’s expected to spend the rest of the year with Belleville in the American Hockey League. Formenton was one of the biggest surprises at training camp in September and he’s able to carry that over into an impressive second season in the OHL. Will be interesting to see what the organization does with him next year. Formenton can either play in the NHL or go back to Junior for another year but unfortunately AHL isn’t an option for him. With that in mind, it’s safe to assume the Senators will give Formenton another long look in Camp (which is only like five months away)!
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