Marc Methot’s Future With The Ottawa Senators

Marc Methot has been a popular topic of conversation between Ottawa Senators fans this season, for a couple of reasons. The season began with Methot injured, and not all that desperate for a contract extension. While it is disappointing that Bryan Murray wasn’t able to sign Methot to an extension before his final year kicked in, you have to remember that it was a very busy summer for Murray. He signed Bobby Ryan, Clarke MacArthur, and Craig Anderson to extensions before the season began. Talks of an extension with Methot effectively ended quite early in the season, and it doesn’t seem like talks of an extension have started since then.

Up until quite recently, no one was sure what they wanted management to do with Methot. It goes without saying that Methot is the best defensive d-man that the Sens have, and he makes the team significantly better when he’s in the lineup. While saying he’s their best in their own end doesn’t really mean anything when you look at the rest of their roster, he’s still a very solid stay-at-home defenceman. There aren’t a whole lot of teams that wouldn’t want someone like that on their team.

While trading Methot for the right price seemed like a good idea to some, there wouldn’t have been a whole lot of teams interested in someone who had missed the better part of 40 games, and was scheduled to be a UFA in July. He has recently gotten healthy and made his way back into the lineup, and oh boy has he been needed.

Nov 29, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson (65) against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the second period at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Not only is the entire team better when he’s on the ice, he allows Erik Karlsson to be himself. While it wasn’t all that apparent during the first half of the season, these last few games have shown how important Methot is to Karlsson’s success. It’s so obvious now, I can’t believe most people (myself included) hadn’t noticed it this season.

When he’s playing with someone else, say Chris Phillips or Jared Cowen, Karlsson is always second guessing himself. Is it because he doesn’t trust the others as much as Methot? Or does Methot just have magical powers? We don’t know. What we do know is that when he’s playing with Methot, Karlsson has the confidence to make high risk plays that – more often than not – end in a quality scoring chance, or a goal.

While I was on the “trade Methot” train up until recently, my opinion has changed dramatically. They say you don’t appreciate what you have until you lose it, but in this case I didn’t appreciate what the team had until they got it. If you ask me, the team should sign Methot ASAP. Of course this is only if he stops asking for “Brooks Orpik money” (that term is nearly as bad as when Karlsson was getting an extension and the term “Dennis Wideman money” was a thing).

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If Murray doesn’t want to move him, and holds out on giving him an extension as long as Methot wants a 5×5 contract, there’s a real possibility that Methot walks. The smart thing for Murray to do would be to work on an extension for Methot until the trade deadline. If he thinks signing Methot is a lost cause, then ship him to the highest bidder. While holding out until the draft and moving him for a high-ish pick is a possibility, I’m not sure how many teams would take the risk of giving assets for someone who may rather test free agency.

During an interview with TSN1200 earlier today, Murray said he wouldn’t be moving Craig Anderson. I’m sure most of the team would be available if the return was big enough, but I can’t help but assume that Methot is the only one that’s really available who would bring in a sizeable return. So if Murray signs Methot to an extension before the trade deadline, will he still shop him around? While this would make trading him much easier, keeping him to play with Karlsson makes sense. Between not trading Anderson, and still looking for a top 6 forward, it doesn’t seem like Murray is looking to rebuild any time soon.

What do you want the team to do with Methot?