The Ottawa Senators have a pretty important decision to make on defence heading into training camp. The top five spots on the blue line look fairly clear, but the No. 6 job is still up for grabs. And the most obvious choice is Carter Yakemchuk, who should be the player who gets the opportunity.
It should be Yakemchuk's job to lose in camp
There is no reason for Ottawa to rush Yakemchuk into a huge role, but there is also no reason to keep him out of the lineup if he is ready to play. The former first-round pick needs to start getting regular NHL experience, and playing on the third pairing would give him a chance to do that without having to carry the defence.
What makes Yakemchuk so interesting is what he can bring offensively. Ottawa already has some good puck-moving defencemen in Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson. But Yakemchuk’s role on the last pairing could shelter him to help him create offence. Which could help get more comfortable with the NHL and adapt to a larger role.
Right now, aside from Yakemchuk, there is Nikolas Matinpalo, who could slot into the open spot on the back end. Both players are interesting options for what they bring. As mentioned above, Yakemchuk offers more of an offensive skillset. Whereas Matinpalo brings more of the defensive side of things. Which would make the third pairing alongside Tyler Kleven a shutdown duo. However, that isn’t always what a team needs, especially a team that has a very offensive-minded forward group.
Although Yakemchuk is still learning and isn't going to come into the season and suddenly look like a veteran NHL defenceman. He would bring another puck-moving defenceman on the bottom-pairing with Kleven to be the shutdown guy. Again, in a very sheltered role to start, Yakemchuk could see his game develop and his role slowly grow with the team.
There is also the bigger picture here. Ottawa needs to start finding out what its young players can become. Yakemchuk was drafted because the organization believed he could eventually become an important defenceman and play behind Jake Sanderson or even beside him down the road. And there is no better way to figure that out than giving him NHL games, on the third pairing to start.
It’s evident that the No. 6 job should be Yakemchuk's to lose at training camp. If he comes in and shows that he is ready, the Senators should let him play. That isn’t to say that Matinpalo needs to be waived; he can be the seventh defenceman, who steps in when Yakemchuk needs a game off. That said, there is much more to gain from finding out what they have in him than there is from simply giving the spot to a veteran because it feels like the safer choice.
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