On July 1st, 2012, the Ottawa Senators acquired Marc Methot from the Columbus Blue Jackets. This piece will look at the acquisition, his role with the Senators, and how important he was to the team.
The Trade
As I said above, Methot was traded to Ottawa from the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 1st, 2012.
He was traded for forward Nick Foligno. Foligno was drafted in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft by the Senators and spent five seasons in the Nation’s Capital. In those five seasons, he would score 61 goals and 87 assists for 148 points in 351 games. He was a younger middle-six forward who would benefit from the change of scenery while Ottawa attempted to find the defensive partner to young star Erik Karlsson.
Marc Methot was able to join his hometown team, after spending parts of six seasons in Columbus after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2003 NHL draft, being part of one of the deepest draft classes in NHL history.
Methot’s Impact in Ottawa
Marc Methot was a stay-at-home defenseman in the NHL, not scoring many points but being extremely responsible in the D-zone while also being able to contribute to an offensive rush once in a while with a powerful slapshot.
Reportedly, the Sens had attempted to acquire Methot at a few points during the 2011-12 season before recircling back in the offseason and pulling the trigger.
Being a defensive defenseman, Methot was believed to be an ideal partner for the offensive defenseman Erik Karlsson. In their time together, Methot would deliver deadly hip-checks while being the anchor that Karlsson needed in order to complete the skilled plays he would be known for throughout his career.
Just here to put some respek on @MarcMethot3’s name. 😏💥 pic.twitter.com/DzjlW9tsBY
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 12, 2021
The pair would become Ottawa’s top pair and Methot would earn Karlsson’s trust. Karlsson is an elite player but played his best hockey in Ottawa with Methot at his side, not quite being able to trust the other defensemen he played with as much. It was almost as if Karlsson could forget about the D-zone when he played with the Ottawa native, and just run with it while Methot was there to bail him out of things did not go his way (which would not happen often)
The Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson pairing was something of pure beauty, art even. I looked at it almost as proof of opposites attract. Methot in a way was the exact opposite of Karlsson in terms of playing style, and it actually made both players better.
Methot’s Departure
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after five seasons in Ottawa, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Final in his final season, Methot would be exposed in the Vegas Expansion Draft and would be selected by the Vegas Golden Knights. He would not be a Golden Knight for long as they would trade him to the Dallas Stars
Methot would play in two seasons with the Dallas Stars before being forced to retire due to knee injuries. Ironically enough, the Golden Knights would trade that second-round pick to the Ottawa Senators in a trade that brought Mark Stone to Vegas, and the Senators would also later acquire Dylan Ferguson from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization. That second-round pick would be utilized to select Egor Sokolov, who is still with the Ottawa Senators to this day.
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Closing Thoughts
In a shorter piece, I thought it was appropriate to recap Marc Methot’s time with the Senators. In my opinion, he is definitely a top 5 defenseman in Ottawa Senators history, and was one of my favorite players to watch, appreciating his deadly hip-checks and willingness to do anything needed for the team. Now, he’s part of the great TSN crew that covers the Ottawa Senators on gamedays and makes some appearances on the Locked on Senators Podcast.