The Senators, aided a little bit by the recruiting efforts of captain Erik Karlsson, signed veteran defenseman Johnny Oduya yesterday, adding some depth and experience to their blue line.
But how much impact can the 35-year-old Oduya really have on next year's club?
While it might be too much to expect him to fill the hole that was left by Marc Methot's expansion draft departure, if you look at the underlying numbers that might not be too big of a stretch...
Now those numbers aren't the be-all, end all, and Methot's size and chemistry with Karlsson was about more than numbers, but Oduya is a savvy veteran who can adjust his style to mesh with his countryman if needed. Karlsson is no stranger to playing with 3 or 4 partners on any given night, by virtue of the amount of ice time he absorbs, and Oduya shouldn't look out of place as part of that rotation.
How does the signing affect the rest of the blue line, and what does that mean for the likes of Thomas Chabot? Ideally, whether you like it or not, the Senators would like Chabot to be in the NHL next season, as Pierre Dorion rather confidently indicated he was ready to do a couple of weeks ago.
Assuming Chabot lives up to expectations, and fits into the top 4, I could envision a lineup like:
Oduya -- Karlsson
Chabot - Phaneuf
Claesson - Ceci
Wideman, Harpur, Borowiecki,
Phaneuf is a left handed shot but played the right side for most of his pre-Senators career. He can play either side and can also play with Karlsson when required to take some of the load off of Oduya in that spot.
That alignment also moved Ceci down to the third pair, a move which would make a lot of fans happy. What it also does, which might mean that it is a pipe dream, is that the strategy of having bigger, stronger players on the left side to make the forceful pinch at the blue line would most likely have to be altered.
The fact is, Karlsson has elevated his game to the point where it doesn't really matter who he plays with, he drives the pair at both ends. Finding someone who can complement him (meaning just doesn't bring him down) is ideal, and maybe Oduya is that guy in the short term.
And, he came at the right price, when compared to another high ticket signing down the road.
Oduya might not be the traditional top-pairing guy, but neither was Methot and it worked out. Sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, especially when one of those parts wears No. 65 and has a couple of Norris Trophies on his mantle.
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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