Oct 29 2011; New York, NY, USA; Ottawa Senators center Jason Spezza (19) (middle) celebrates with teammates Erik Karlsson (65) and Filip Kuba (17) after scoring a goal in the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Well, as it turns out, it looks like it was Karlsson that was carrying Kuba on his back, not the other way around.   Kuba has been terrible in Florida this season, with just 3 assists and a -10 rating (tied for the worst in the league) through just 17 games.

Kuba has shuffled his way from a top end pairing with Brian Campbell, right out of the lineup as an apparent healthy scratch on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers take on the Bruins.

It could also have something to do with the fact that Kuba only seems to step it up in a contract season.  Either way, we can finally put the final nail in the coffin of the question as to whether or not Karlsson’s success had a lot to do with Kuba’s influence.  Karlsson’s award was his and his alone.  And he proved that this season with the seamless transition to playing with Marc Methot, who has made his own mark (no pun intended) in Ottawa, but that is an entirely different story for a different time.

Filip Kuba had a bounce back season in 2011-12. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-US PRESSWIRE

EXPECTATIONS

Filip Kuba had a disastrous 2010-11 season that had many people, (myself included) calling for the Sens to buy him out of the last year of his contract.  Murray didn’t heed the advice, and his insistence that Kuba was still a top 4 defenseman was second-guessed all around.

THE HIGHS

Kuba was a steadying force on the blue line all season, and his influence was a large factor in the emergence of Erik Karlsson as an elite defenseman in the NHL.  He kind of sat in the shadows and allowed his partner to blossom. After finishing with a -26 rating the previous season (6th worse in the league), he bounced back to post a +26 rating this season (9th in the NHL and 3rd best for a player not on the Boston Bruins.)

THE LOWS

Some would argue that he didn’t help Karlsson, but that he rode the youngsters’ coattails to have success this season.  His performance as a Senator seems to swing up when he is in a contract year, as his two good seasons in Ottawa both came in the final year of an existing deal.

THE STATS

Kuba doubled his point production from the previous season (16 to 32 points) as well as the above mentioned swing in +/- rating.

THE GRADE

With such low expectations heading into the season, Kuba pretty much had nowhere to go but up.  So, for the 2011-12 season, the grade I award Filip Kuba is: