Ottawa Senators Have Many Options for Third Defensive Pair

The Ottawa Senators are still tinkering with their roster in preparation for next season. The front office has indicated that they’re pleased with their lineup of defensemen, but that slight changes may occur in the near future.

The biggest question mark that remains is Cody Ceci. He doesn’t have arbitration rights this season as a restricted free agent, and the two sides still haven’t agreed to contractual terms.

Despite the gridlock, Pierre Dorion seems convincingly confident that Ceci is going to be on the Senators by the time the 2016-2017 season opens.

What he doesn’t sound so sure about is which players are going to be a part of the 3rd pair of defensemen at the start of the regular season.

Dorion praised the top 4 defensemen on the roster, never implying that Ceci wasn’t going to be a part of that distinguished group.

“At this point in time, we’ve always loved our top four,” said Dorion, referring to his top pairs of defensemen.

There’s a lot to be optimistic about. Erik Karlsson is the best offensive blueliner in hockey. His partner Marc Methot is a stable stay-at-home defenseman who provides solid leadership.

Dion Phaneuf is a hard hitter and still possesses a lot of offensive talent. Ceci looks like one of the young up-and-coming defenseman with great passing skills who has improved his point totals each season he has been in the league.

Dorion didn’t offer the same amount of praise for the Senators’ options as the final two defenseman, who at this point look to be Mark Borowiecki and Chris Wideman.

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“If Borowiecki and Wideman are no. 5 and no. 6, our management group and coaches feel really comfortable entering the season like that,” Dorion said. “If someone out of our kids or depth guys beats those guys out, then they just slide down.”

That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, especially when compared to what he said about the top 4. It sounds like Dorion is really hoping that somebody other than those 2 asserts themselves.

“Comfortable” isn’t a very enthusiastic term of endearment. Dorion is probably secretly hoping that a guy like Thomas Chabot shows enough promise to cement a place in the lineup by their season opener on October 12.

Chabot is a highly touted prospect, but has struggled recently. He may need some more time to polish his game, but there’s a moderate sense of urgency to upgrade that final defensive pairing.

“We may add another depth defenseman, whether through a trade or waivers in camp, or maybe a free agent by signing a guy,” said Dorion.

Fredrick Claesson and Michael Kostka are two candidates signed to two-way contracts this offseason who could feasibly get increased playing time on the NHL squad.

Claesson has solid offensive skills, but isn’t overtly physical. Kostka is a decent passer, but also lacks a maximum physical aspect to his game.

They both have their flaws, but provide the lineup with solid depth at the position. Open competition is always a great way of allowing players to elevate their performance, and it’s going to be interesting to see how things resolve themselves.

Besides Chris Neil, Borowiecki is the team’s most bruising player. He ranked in the top 10 in the NHL in fighting majors with 8. He also lead the team in hits.

That’s an important aspect that gets removed from the lineup if Borowiecki is bumped down, but Borowiecki only had 2 points in 63 games last season. Wideman has more offensive ability, and is quicker.

Conversely, Wideman doesn’t provide the physical presence that Borowiecki does, though. Each brings a different style to the ice.

Borowiecki is a lefty and Wideman is a righty. Chabot is a lefty, so it would be more natural to keep Wideman in the lineup as his partner and bump Borowiecki.

Claesson is a lefty as well, while Kostka is a righty. There’s a lot of variables right now to determine how that 3rd pairing is going to look next season, but if the Senators have high hopes for Chabot establishing his place in the lineup, then the writing may be on the wall that Borowiecki is going to be the one dropped down.

Next: Ottawa Senators Now Have to Attend to Cody Ceci Contract

The situation will definitely be reassessed if the Senators add another defenseman through free agency. Multiple options is always a great problem for a team to have.

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