Finding the Methot for Thomas Chabot

2: 2020 NHL draft

This option is quite honestly a bit of a reach considering I already squashed the idea of waiting for The Sens current prospect candidates. While this draft is said to be loaded with top-end talent, the same can’t be said about defensemen. The top 10 in fact is basically all forwards (and 1 goalie maybe) aside from Jamie Drysdale. Drysdale would be a fantastic pick for most teams, I’m not a big fan of the pick for Ottawa (although I wouldn’t be upset).

I’m a firm believer that Ottawa is 2 elite forwards away from moving their rebuild into acceleration. Drysdale is also at least a year away from playing NHL games, so for the sake of this article I’m going to lead you in a different direction.

Possible Candidate: Braden Schneider

With the NYI pick, whenever that may be, the Ottawa Senators could target 6’2, 205lbs defenseman, Braden Schneider. It might shock you that I firmly believe that Schneider is one of very few 2020 draft prospects that could be NHL ready next season. Is this because the Canadian defenseman of the Brandon Wheat Kings is better than the likes Drysdale, Sanderson and co. Obviously not, he does however have a much more attainable floor and due to the NHL style that he already currently plays I think he can reach that floor rather quickly.

Schneider did achieve 42 points through 60 games played in the WHL this season, so he’s not a slouch offensively but teams drafting him will understand that his greatest asset will be his defensive game. Schneider won over many scouts when he won gold for Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and followed that up in 2019 with “top 3 honours” at the 2019 World U18 tournament internationally.

He was very close to making the WJC tournament for a stacked team Canada that of course went on to win Gold this past holiday season. I think Schneider will compliment Chabot almost perfectly. His skating and mobility are considered his best assets, so he’ll have no issue keeping up to Chabot on the ice. He has a great motor, meaning he thinks the game very well, this separates players from 3rd pairing duties to top-pairing roles (He’s not Ceci basically). He also adds an old school element of tenacity to his game, he already plays with bite and physicality, he’s a well sized player as is. Over the extended off season he could add another 10-15Lbs and be even more intimidating.

Now the downfall with the Ottawa Senators opting for a “quick fix” in terms of a partner for Chabot next season via the draft is missing out on other players in the same 20-25 range with much higher ceilings. Sometimes with many, many (like 13 or something crazy) draft picks, The Sens can afford to be umm…risky, as the kids say. You might want to use this pick to package and move down or draft someone like Helge Grans, a Swedish RHD who’s less NHL ready but could be really, really good when he is. As I mentioned, Schneider has a high floor, but his ceiling is far from cathedral. He is unlikely to provide a ton of offence at the NHL level and would be a reach to even be considered on any teams 2nd PP unit.