Finding the Methot for Thomas Chabot

On July 1st of 2012 the Ottawa Senators sent RFA winger Nick Foligno to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Marc Methot. 24-year-old Nick Foligno was coming off a career-best 47-point output while playing a primarily 3rd and 4th line role.

For Ottawa, the large, defensive-minded defenseman, Methot, played a “stay at home” style that Senators GM at the time, Bryan Murray, carefully sought after to compliment his blooming young star defenseman, Erik Karlsson (still hurts to say his name).

Long story short, Methot proved his value and immediately became the ideal complimentary, regular D-partner that Erik Karlsson needed and that’s despite Nick Foligno going on to become a top-line winger, for CBJ, producing 73 points in 2014-15 and following that season was named captain of the team.

Methot remains a fan favourite player in Ottawa, even after being forced out during the Vegas expansion and will always be remembered for being one part of a D pairing that was arguably the best in the league for the better part of 5 seasons. Sens fans have been craving a top D pairing ever since and quite honestly should have an opportunity in the not so distant future to compete for that title.

Here we are, 8 years after the trade (Seriously, I’m that old?) and The Sens sit in a very familiar predicament with a blooming star defenseman and no consistent D partner insight. Newly acquired coach, DJ Smith (“Go, DJ, cuz that’s my DJ”) tried a few partners throughout the course of last season including Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey and Dylan Demelo to name a few.

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None of which were really able to cement a role as the NHL endurance champion’s go-to-guy, although the fancy stat community will tell you that Demelo, now a member of the Winnipeg Jets, was his best partner of the bunch.

There are a few ways The Ottawa Senators can explore filling this vacancy, but I think those that involve being patient while waiting for the likes of prospect defenseman, Lassi Thomson and Jacob Bernard-docker to arrive, could risk another year of maximizing Chabot’s development curve. Let’s explore some options that Pierre Dorion and the company could have at his disposal.