Ottawa Senators: Alex Formenton Needs to be Next Call-up

The speedy-winger needs to be included in the Senators new plan to play the kids

Entering the season Senators fans expected plenty of youth in the lineup and for that to be a theme for the whole season, while that wasn’t exactly the case.

Coach D.J. Smith was steadfast in keeping the veterans in the lineup and let the young players see the press box. Cedric Paquette and Braydon Coburn were getting regular shifts while Colin White and Christian Wolanin were seeing the press box, and to nobody’s surprise-it didn’t work.

However, Colin White has now found an everyday spot in the lineup and despite Christian Wolanin’s injury, Erik Brannstrom was elevated from the AHL and now looks like an NHL regular, the kids are good, and now they’re showing it. The infusion of youth has resulted in much better play for the Senators and the team seems to be playing with more pace and the disheartening blowouts from early in the season aren’t happening anymore.

Logan Brown was the last Senator to be brought up to the NHL and is now situated on the team’s taxi squad, likely to appear in a game in the near future. There’s one player who is still sitting in the AHL and could immediately give the Senators even more of a boost and that’s speedster Alex Formenton.

The 21-year-old had an unexpected, breakout offensive season with Belleville last season, finishing with 27 goals and 53 points in just 61 games. Formenton’s offensive upside has always been questioned but his performance last year in Belleville should alleviate some worries, even if he doesn’t reach his offensive ceiling, Formenton can easily stay on the 3rd line and kill penalties. There should be a spot on the team for a player of that speed, it offers another element that teams have to prepare for, ridding the Senators lineup of Alex Galchenyuk or Cedric Paquette and placing Formenton on the 3rd or 4th line would undoubtedly make the team better.

Ideal Spot in Lineup

If Ottawa does indeed bring Formenton up, I’d like to see him slide in on either line in the bottom-six and find some opportunities on the penalty kill. With the world-class speed that Formenton brings, he could be a lethal contributor when the Senators are a man down.

There’s no way that adding Formenton to the lineup will decrease the team’s effectiveness in any way, in the NHL “speed kills” and if you have a prospect with electric speed you should try to incorporate him into a role on the team (Hello D.J. Smith and Pierre Dorion). With all of the open ice in 3 on 3 overtime, Formenton would instantly give the team a better chance of winning in extra time too:

With the AHL season yet to start, getting Formenton meaningful NHL minutes instead of AHL practice time should be an easier decision than it seems.