Senators holiday mailbag: Disrespect for Thomas Chabot, picking a Christmas tree with Pascal L ·

18 May 2024, 00:00

In an alternate universe, I’ve written this column after the St. Louis Blues paid a visit to Ottawa on Tuesday.

And after a two-goal performance from Logan Brown, my headline reads, “Did the Senators give up on Logan Brown too early?”

The comment section below would turn into a nasty space, with Logan Brown truthers popping up after being in hiding for the past 18 months.

Thankfully, we don’t have to ponder that alternate reality, because that Sens-Blues game was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

But this sudden break in the schedule did allow for me to put together a mailbag column, where I tried to tackle a handful of your Senators related questions before the holidays. (And shockingly, none of the questions were about Logan Brown.)

Do you believe the team still needs another high-end center to compete given the recent play of Norris and the emergence of Stützle at center? Happy holidays! — Patrick M.

I think I’ve always been a believer the Senators need to add one more top-six forward. If you would have asked me a few months ago, I likely would have leaned toward a centreman.

But now that Tim Stützle has shown some promise down the middle, I’m wondering if the better option isn’t to find a productive winger to play in the top-six. I’m really encouraged by what I’ve seen out of Alex Formenton, but the jury is out to see if he’s a top-six forward or a third-line player. I think Connor Brown is great on the right side, but the original vision was to see him slot in as a third-line right winger.

The Senators’ plan — at least last season — was to see Drake Batherson and Evgenii Dadonov occupy the top two spots on the right side. Dadonov clearly didn’t work out, but the Senators got lucky when Brown produced like a top-six winger. But then they never really replaced Dadonov’s role or his salary, which has left them a little bit thin up front.

I would love to see them get somebody in that range, whether it’s a Jake DeBrusk or Dylan Strome. Or maybe can they find another player who fits the bill of Anthony Duclair? I thought that was a perfect scenario a couple of years ago where you take a young player who needs a change of scenery, give him a chance to play top-six minutes and help resuscitate his career.

The back half of this season could provide the perfect canvas for Ottawa to try something like this. But I wholeheartedly believe the Senators need to add one more dynamic piece to their forward group in the months ahead.

Do you see Josh Brown getting back into the lineup when he returns from injury? If the focus has switched to development, there’s no more room for Brown than for MDZ. — Carl C.

Josh Brown is on an expiring contract, so it will be interesting to see his deployment in the months ahead. He should be available to return to the lineup in early January, but Erik Brannstrom should also be back in the fold at that point too. I would imagine that playing Brannstrom would be a major priority for the club between now and the trade deadline.

I think fans should also be encouraged by D.J. Smith’s usage of Jacob Bernard-Docker in the game at Philadelphia before the shutdown. Bernard-Docker logged a career-high 19:06 in that contest and was paired almost exclusively with Thomas Chabot in the back half of that game. In the third period, the Senators basically went with two pairings in Chabot with Bernard-Docker and Nick Holden alongside Artem Zub.

If we assume Brannstrom has one of those other spots, that really leaves room for one spot to fight for among players like Brown, Victor Mete and maybe even Dillon Heatherington. And when Nikita Zaitsev comes back from his injury in the new year, it’s almost a certainty that he takes up one of those top-six spots too. It feels like we might see Bernard-Docker and Lassi Thomson trade places with each other, so I’m thinking there is really only one spot up for grabs. I suspect we’ll see a little bit of Josh Brown sprinkled into the lineup, but it might be harder for him to squeeze into game action when Zaitsev is back in the picture.

An educated guess would see the Senators using the following defencemen in some capacity in about a month from now: Chabot, Zub, Holden, Zaitsev, Brannstrom and one of Bernard-Docker/Thomson.

Is next year the last year for DJ/PD if they are not competing for a playoff spot? They managed to salvage the last two seasons with good vibes after horrible starts but eventually that’s not good enough right? — Darren H.

I suspect if you injected D.J. Smith and Pierre Dorion with some truth serum, they would admit this team had better be ready to compete for a playoff spot next season. I’m not sure if anybody from the organization would ever admit that publicly, but that really should be the goal around here.

This season will likely mark the fifth consecutive year Ottawa has missed the playoffs — the longest postseason drought in franchise history. (Unless we get some miraculous Forsberg-lar run that unexpectedly vaults this team into a playoff spot).

I would have to do some more digging, but I would suspect it would be almost unheard of to find a GM/head coach combo who survived four straight seasons of missing the playoffs together. The only one I can think is David Poile/Barry Trotz, who missed the playoffs in their first five years together in Nashville. But that was an expansion franchise getting off the ground so there was probably a little more patience injected into that situation.

If Ottawa misses the playoffs this year and again next year, that would be four straight years of the Dorion/Smith combo failing to put this group into the postseason. And for me, that would be unacceptable and should likely result in somebody being accountable for not getting this team to the next stage.

Can you address the disrespect from Sean and Dom when they projected the Olympic rosters but omitted even mentioning Chabot? I get the Toronto-centric media but that is just brutal. — Patrick H.

Somewhere Kevin Bieksa is like, “Phew. He only brought up Sean Gentille and Dom Luszczyszyn.”

But it was very interesting to see Chabot’s name omitted from a lot of Olympic roster projections — not just the ones done here at The Athletic. I know it’s all a moot point now with NHLers not going overseas to Beijing this season, but it does bring up the familiar feeling of Ottawa players being criminally underappreciated on a league-wide scale. It felt like it took a Mark Stone trade to Vegas for the rest of the hockey world to wake up to his unique combination of offensive talent and puck thievery.

For anybody who has watched Chabot play over the course of his career, you can clearly see a different player this season. He’s just a complete player now, with more attention to detail in his game. Does he have the odd night where he’s off his game? Absolutely. But on the whole, this guy has been dynamite this season.

Ottawa has outscored their opposition 30-21 (58.82 GF%) when Chabot has been on the ice at five-on-five this season. Considering the Senators have been one of the worst defensive teams in the league this season, that’s no small feat. And when you factor in that Chabot is one of only three defencemen who has played more than 600 minutes at five-on-five this season, it makes the stat even more remarkable.

It was really disappointing to not see Chabot mentioned more prominently on the list of Olympic candidates and I’m really not sure how anybody could look at his body of work this season and honestly think he’s not in that discussion. If you put Chabot on a more talented team — like a Toronto or Vegas — he would probably be in the Norris conversation.

Thomas Chabot. (David Berding / USA Today)

Why does your colleague Scott Wheeler hate Sens fans, puppies, and Christmas? — Matthew S.

I’m detecting a bit of a trend here. Does everybody hate Ottawa outside the 613-area code? (And sorry, I still don’t recognize ‘343’ as a legit Ottawa area code just yet.)

I don’t know Wheeler’s stance on puppies and Christmas, but I do think he’s fairly objective when it comes to the Senators. Now, I think he has a contentious relationship with some members of the fan base, but I think you’ll find that with most national writers and specific fan bases.

Wheeler hasn’t shared the same enthusiasm for some of Ottawa’s recent drafts, which is where I think most of this animosity is rooted. And truthfully, we won’t have a definitive answer on this for another three to five years. But when you’re doing what Wheeler does for a living and trying to project teenagers, you’re going to have some hits and misses. And I promise you none of his analytics and tools are clouded by a hatred of the Senators franchise or this fan base.

Last month, he admitted he was probably too low on Jake Sanderson in the 2020 NHL Draft. Wheeler stated that he was probably too harsh about Sanderson’s offensive game, which has certainly blossomed over the past 12 months. And I think this line was critical to point out too:

“I wonder, too, whether Seider and Sanderson’s slower rises up boards (despite their big second halves) illuminate a bigger problem I have with making determinations on players a little too early,” wrote Wheeler.

Bottom line: If he’s wrong about a prospect, he’s willing to own up to it and learn. And he and Corey Pronman spend hundreds of hours each year watching games in person, pouring over video and speaking to scouts and coaches. Their assessments aren’t based on their passionate feelings toward a particular fan base or franchise. They have a vested interest in being as accurate as possible because their reputations depend on making smart, calculated assessments of these prospects.

And for the most part, they’re pretty accurate. And when they’re not, they’re willing to admit a mistake.

I wish the relationship between Wheeler and some Sens fans wasn’t so acrimonious. Maybe I’ll see if I can convince him to do a live chat or podcast with me in the weeks ahead and we can all get on the same page. He’s a really sharp, intelligent and witty guy. I think he’s just misunderstood by a segment of the fan base here.

(Besides, Wheeler attended Carleton University and lived in Ottawa for four years so he can’t be that bad, right?)

Are you going to do another live chat similar to the one you did just after Tkachuk was named Captain? — Craig M.

Speaking of that live chat function, it worked out really well when I tried it last month on a trial run. If you weren’t on that call, it was basically a live conversation room for subscribers to The Athletic to drop in and chat about the Senators. It’s like our own version of Clubhouse and as a former radio host, I absolutely love this format. I truly miss the adrenaline rush from doing live radio and speaking to fans in real time. There’s something pretty exciting about being thrown a question from a passionate fan and having no idea which direction it could be headed. I miss that connection with a live audience.

This live room is basically a Q&A platform, so we can do this mailbag format in real time. There are no restrictions about anything you can ask me. Go ahead and ask about the owner, the future of the franchise, my thoughts on media coverage of this team or whatever your heart desires.

I will make this a new year’s resolution and try and do at least one or two of these per month. And having guests like Wheeler drop by could certainly help, too. I could also invite James Mirtle on and you can all personally confront him about being blocked on Twitter.

Any possibility the rumours are true about Melnyk looking for potential buyers? This would be every Sens fan’s Christmas miracle come true if it were ever to happen! Or is it just more wishful thinking? — Timothy D.

Death, taxes and me answering a Eugene Melnyk-related question in this mailbag. I wish I could avoid this, but I always receive multiple questions about ownership in each mailbag.

Yes, there are always rumours swirling around the potential sale of this club. It’s been the case for the better part of three years now when some of these rumours really started popping up in the summer of 2018. What I can say definitively is that I know of multiple ownership groups that are waiting in the wings and would happily step up and purchase this team if it was actually on the market. I think Melnyk has flirted with the idea in the past, but his desire to own and operate an NHL team in Canada usually wins out.

But I do believe we are arriving at a crucial juncture for the future of this franchise — at least as it pertains to its next home arena. The NCC reopening the LeBreton Flats project and inviting the Senators back to the table is a significant development. There is a February deadline for new submissions and I would be shocked if the NHL allowed another opportunity to pass that would allow the Senators to move to a more desirable location in the city.

I know Melnyk has vacillated on the idea of taking on a partner, but perhaps that’s one potential route he could go if he wants to ensure a downtown rink. Would he sell a portion of his ownership to get that done? It’s an interesting question to ponder.

He’s always been steadfast on being the majority owner of this team, so I can’t really envision a scenario where he relinquishes more than 50 percent of the franchise. I’m watching with great interest to see how this LeBreton Flats project goes in the next eight weeks, because it could give us a glimpse into the direction Melnyk wants to take this franchise.

I live in Edmonton and am an Oilers fan as well, (and) this fan base seems very similar to Ottawa’s. Most do to me. Is there actually a big difference between Ottawa’s and most other fan bases? — Ferner

I love this question because sometimes I think we get caught up in the notion that our angst and disappointment are somehow unique to Ottawa.

Trust me, being a hockey fan is a painful, heartbreaking experience no matter where you live. (Disclaimer: Tampa Bay not included)

Talk to fans in Vancouver and Buffalo who have gone a half-century without a Stanley Cup. They’re closing in on a 50-year drought in Philadelphia and I can tell you those fans are convinced the hockey gods are out to get them. I’m sure you know Oilers fans are convinced they’re just wasting Connor McDavid’s prime years before he walks out of town. And Toronto? Well, that’s a whole other level of fan torture that’s kind of fun to watch from afar.

Unless you’re a Lightning fan, you’re probably conditioned to think the worst possible fate is in store for your team. And we’re no different in Ottawa than 31 other markets in the NHL.

Do you get the sense that given the decision Montreal has made for attendance and the rising case numbers, Ottawa and Toronto will follow suit? — Mathieu N.

In my conversations with government officials, I’ve always been told “nothing is off the table.” So, I suppose that means we could potentially see some Senators games with no fans in attendance in the weeks ahead. As you mentioned, they’ve gone that route at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

But, there is an interesting twist to this latest reduction in capacity in Ontario, which essentially bans anybody eating or drinking inside the arena. This is a significant development because it should help enforce the mandatory mask policy. If you’ve been to games this season, I think you’ll agree the adherence to masking has been spotty at best. I think the provincial government is hoping this is a reasonable compromise that allows venues to stay open in a safe manner.

By taking away concession stands, it should make it easier to make sure everybody is wearing masks at all times. But, if you can’t have a beer or hot dog at a hockey game, how many people will be willing to drive to Kanata to take in a live game? And truthfully, I’m not sure how many people are eager to head to an indoor venue with 9,000 people these days, so we’ll see where this is headed.

I think a full-scale lockdown is something this provincial government wants to avoid at all costs. But as we’ve learned over the past 20 months, the virus often dictates policy.

I find myself concussed at the Queensway Carleton Hospital at 2:30 in the morning on a Sunday night. There is a room in the emergency area that is wall-to-wall Sens stuff. I just heard a father tell his son about Daniel Alfredsson and the year we made the Stanley Cup Final. I’m not sure what I mean to say, but the Senators mean a lot more to Ottawa than I sometimes give them credit (for). — Bob R.

First of all Bob, I hope you’re recovering from your concussion.

I’m sorry you had to spend time at the hospital, but I’m happy to hear there was a positive Senators connection within those walls. The community connection has certainly been lacking over the past couple of years and I think the franchise needs to do a better job there. Divorcing their own charitable arm last summer didn’t help matters, but your story is a great reminder that it’s sitting right there on a platter for them. The Senators are a connective tissue in this city and I think the organization needs to tap into that on a more regular basis.

I loved the video the club released this week showing Nick Paul and Austin Watson going to a local Canadian Tire store to buy Christmas gifts for kids. They need to pump out more content like that in the months ahead. Show off Josh Norris, Batherson and Stützle. Let Brady Tkachuk and Chabot really become the faces of the franchise.

Sure, some fans are discontent with ownership, but they universally love these players. Tap into that and you’ll be able to reignite the pilot light for a lot of them.

I would like Ian Mendes ‘ favorite Christmas story told to him by an Ottawa Senator player. Also, what was the best Christmas present Ian received? I hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. HO-HO-HO Ian! — Joseph F.

Well, this is a perfect one to close out the holiday mailbag.

As for my favourite Sens-related holiday story, I once had the pleasure of cutting down a Christmas tree with Pascal Leclaire for a television feature with the Overtime show. We had a ton of fun doing that and I was even able to give Pascal a handsaw for him to cut down the tree himself — and miraculously, nothing went wrong.

And I recall Pascal telling me about the one year he got a brand new pair of goalie pads for Christmas as a kid. They were so expensive, they went over the family’s budget and his dad actually hid the pads from his mom so she wouldn’t find out. Young Pascal was so happy to receive the new goalie gear, he even slept in it. I love stories like that because they remind me that most NHL players grew up with the same dreams and Christmas wishes that we did as young kids.

As for me, my favourite gift was my original Nintendo system I got in Grade 7. It only came with the Super Mario game and not bundled with Duck Hunt because I think my parents didn’t want the gun in the house. But, I also received Blades of Steel that year and I probably played that game for 100 hours straight between Christmas and New Year.

I hope everybody reading this column has a chance to enjoy a little bit of that holiday magic this year, despite the circumstances surrounding us. Thanks for reading along this year and supporting me in this new role with The Athletic. This first year has flown by and I’m really excited to pick things up again when the Sens return to action after the break.

(Top photo: Eliot J. Schechter / NHLI via Getty Images)

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Senators holiday mailbag: Disrespect for Thomas Chabot, picking a Christmas tree with Pascal L

In an alternate universe, Ive written this column after the St. Louis Blues paid a visit to Ottawa on Tuesday. And after a two-goal performance from Logan Brown, my headline reads, Did the Senators give up on Logan Brown too early?

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