Jared Crozier: Will Less Be More For Erik Karlsson In 2016-17?

I think Ottawa led the league or tied for the most short handed goals scored by a team. Do we know how often Ottawa scored a shorthanded goal when Karlsson was on the ice. Pageau was amazing in shorthanded situations.

Also, I don't know but I also thought he was very strong in empty net situations at the end of the game.

Agreed, so we need to add an extra Dman since Methot will be injured a lot again

Just a blog asking for the trolls to come out and play.

I'm on the fence about this issue. You should play your best defensive players on the PK when you can. in some rare instances such as centre, you might put a weaker defensive player there, but he might be better at winning face-offs than the 3rd liner.

If Karlsson can be effective on the PK moreso than a Boro/Wideman/Claessen/etc I think he should be out there. To me this just brings up the importance of adding a depth d-man or two to the lineup. Let's be honest. No logical person has any faith in our bottom pairing guys in general. To use them consistently on the PK to give Karlsson a break is only asking for trouble.

I think Ottawa led the league or tied for the most short handed goals scored by a team. Do we know how often Ottawa scored a shorthanded goal when Karlsson was on the ice. Pageau was amazing in shorthanded situations.

Also, I don't know but I also thought he was very strong in empty net situations at the end of the game.
- spatso

He was on for 2 of the SH goals for.

He was on for 2 of the SH goals for.
- JaredCrozier

Thanks, I would have thought it would have been more.

Can we trade Bobby Ryan or Zibanejad and a pick for a legit #2 D-man?
Tyson Barrie could be a nice fit
Ive also always thought Adam Larsson would be a good fit with Karlsson
Imagine Methot anchoring a well-balanced third pair and first PK unit
Thats a playoff team in my books...

Surprised that more people are not open to Chabot making the big team and being spotted at 10 minutes a game. His progression has been very strong over this year. Physically he appears to be solid. And he has great wheels. Karlsson is the best in the world at handling the puck and he takes up huge minutes. Ceci is obviously ready for a larger role as the second puck handling Dman behind Karlsson. I like Methot and Phaneuf paired with the puck handlers.

Ottawa needs a strong stay at home Dman to partner with Chabot on the 3rd unit as well as take on penalty kill minutes with Ceci, Phaneuf and Methot. I think the Sens are close. The Phaneuf addition will look very good this year. Not Larry Murphy but very good.

In any situation it's best to have EK on the ice, if he wants to play PK let him play PK, generally it is about minutes on the ice for the big name players - guys like Hossa, Alfie loved the PK because they got extra minutes, I'm sure EK is the same way.

But i am for a 26-27 minute game for him. Reduce his minutes by 1-2 minutes a night just so he'll have something come playoff time.

Interestingly, Karlsson was near the top of the league in shot suppression on the PK among qualified dmen.

Obviously minute difficulty, and overall minute quantity come into play there, but stats indicate he's actually pretty good on the pk.

I would prefer to prioritize using Karlsoon for an offensive role, but stats indicate that if the supporting cast on d is thin, then the team is better suited to having him on the ice. Sens PK% as a while was very poor last year. They were also near the top of the league in numbers of times short handed. If they are going to be short handed as often as they have been, they are gonna need to ice the best possible PK they can, rather than saving guys for when they can contribute offensively.

Surprised that more people are not open to Chabot making the big team and being spotted at 10 minutes a game. His progression has been very strong over this year. Physically he appears to be solid. And he has great wheels. Karlsson is the best in the world at handling the puck and he takes up huge minutes. Ceci is obviously ready for a larger role as the second puck handling Dman behind Karlsson. I like Methot and Phaneuf paired with the puck handlers.

Ottawa needs a strong stay at home Dman to partner with Chabot on the 3rd unit as well as take on penalty kill minutes with Ceci, Phaneuf and Methot. I think the Sens are close. The Phaneuf addition will look very good this year. Not Larry Murphy but very good.
- spatso

I think this management and coaching group will not rush young players. It has't worked out great for Cowen, Zibby, Lazar, etc. Even guys like Ceci and Pag had some rough spots early on. Unless Chabot is truly special, there is not a whole lot of use having him play isolated minutes. We tried playing Lazar in isolated minutes and now the kid can't find an offensive bone in his body.

I'm ok easing Chabot into the lineup in a similar way Karlsson was, but then again, Karlsson was a special player. Can't expect Chabot to follow that path.

with a PP specialist like Boucher, Karlsson will hit 100 pts.

Can we trade Bobby Ryan or Zibanejad and a pick for a legit #2 D-man?
Tyson Barrie could be a nice fit
Ive also always thought Adam Larsson would be a good fit with Karlsson
Imagine Methot anchoring a well-balanced third pair and first PK unit
Thats a playoff team in my books...
- JN1980

we don't need a top 2 D... we have Methot who is established number 2 and Phaneuf an established #3, we need a 4-5 D. Also, don't trade Zibby I think he is one of the players that will benefit the most with the new coach and hes got to much potential. Ryan on the other hand I don't mind trading.

I think this management and coaching group will not rush young players. It has't worked out great for Cowen, Zibby, Lazar, etc. Even guys like Ceci and Pag had some rough spots early on. Unless Chabot is truly special, there is not a whole lot of use having him play isolated minutes. We tried playing Lazar in isolated minutes and now the kid can't find an offensive bone in his body.

I'm ok easing Chabot into the lineup in a similar way Karlsson was, but then again, Karlsson was a special player. Can't expect Chabot to follow that path.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Wow... Lazar was rushed i will give you that. Zibbanijad wasn't rushed the guy ain't 25 and hes performing decent and has still shown a consitent but slow development...he will get better no doubt in my mind. Ceci wasn't rushed, the guy is a stud top 4 D no question about it.

I really like Barrie, just not for this team. Hes a puck mover, plain and simple. Those are EKs minutes. Dion and ceci, assuming the latter can start connecting on some passes, eat up the rest of those minutes. We need an anchor for that third pairing and hope methot doubled down on his cardio this offseason.

Chabot will need a hard look this camp. Hes our likeliest option. I hope he responds well to the big league coaches tutorship and earns some minutes on the pk. I also hope weiro gets another chance. There's no way he went from playing lights out for a third of the last regular season to being a terrible hockey player.

We should give him a one year deal once he hits Ufa this year.

Wow... Lazar was rushed i will give you that. Zibbanijad wasn't rushed the guy ain't 25 and hes performing decent and has still shown a consitent but slow development...he will get better no doubt in my mind. Ceci wasn't rushed, the guy is a stud top 4 D no question about it.
- PtotheY

I didn't say guys like Ceci and Zibby were bad players (but grouped with Cowen , my bad). Their seasons earlier on in their careers weren't taylor made seasons. They didn't necessarily have to play in the NHL when they did. I agree Ceci is turning into a great d-man. My favourite prospect since Karlsson. Some players respond fine to being put in the NHL early, some struggle with the transition. Remains to be seen how Chabot will fair. I'd be he gets a look for 9 games then gets sent down.

I think this management and coaching group will not rush young players. It has't worked out great for Cowen, Zibby, Lazar, etc. Even guys like Ceci and Pag had some rough spots early on. Unless Chabot is truly special, there is not a whole lot of use having him play isolated minutes. We tried playing Lazar in isolated minutes and now the kid can't find an offensive bone in his body.

I'm ok easing Chabot into the lineup in a similar way Karlsson was, but then again, Karlsson was a special player. Can't expect Chabot to follow that path.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

John Cooper dresses 7 Dman all the time, Chabot as a LD on the PP would be a good weapon for us.

Chabot could play NHL games next year based on talent, but I doubt 82 of them. He is just to skinny. Smooth as silk and to good to be in Junior next year, I wonder if they keep him up for October/November just to work out and be in an NHL atmosphere and send him back to Junior for the WJC and playoffs.

Surprised that more people are not open to Chabot making the big team and being spotted at 10 minutes a game. His progression has been very strong over this year. Physically he appears to be solid. And he has great wheels. Karlsson is the best in the world at handling the puck and he takes up huge minutes. Ceci is obviously ready for a larger role as the second puck handling Dman behind Karlsson. I like Methot and Phaneuf paired with the puck handlers.

Ottawa needs a strong stay at home Dman to partner with Chabot on the 3rd unit as well as take on penalty kill minutes with Ceci, Phaneuf and Methot. I think the Sens are close. The Phaneuf addition will look very good this year. Not Larry Murphy but very good.
- spatso

29 teams in the league will agree with you.

I think this management and coaching group will not rush young players. It has't worked out great for Cowen, Zibby, Lazar, etc. Even guys like Ceci and Pag had some rough spots early on. Unless Chabot is truly special, there is not a whole lot of use having him play isolated minutes. We tried playing Lazar in isolated minutes and now the kid can't find an offensive bone in his body.

I'm ok easing Chabot into the lineup in a similar way Karlsson was, but then again, Karlsson was a special player. Can't expect Chabot to follow that path.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I will agree that easing Chabot in may be the best strategy, but Pageau was sorta eased into it himself. He was sent back a few times.

I wouldn't say things haven't 'worked out' with Zibanejad. The guy had 2x20+ goal seasons and a single 50+ point season and he hadn't even hit his 23rd birthday yet. He will be 23 through the upcoming season. He is still trending positively, and taking the step of spending the summer with pro trainers should continue that. I'm hoping for a 60 point season from him this year. It's a big jump, but I feel he's started to show the maturity needed to have the consistency for a full season of solid play. I mean, not everyone is a Crosby or McDavid. Some guys take a few seasons to really hit their stride. I think Zibanejad is one of them.

Anything to avoid injury to our star is a good idea. I miss Condra for this.

John Cooper dresses 7 Dman all the time, Chabot as a LD on the PP would be a good weapon for us.

Chabot could play NHL games next year based on talent, but I doubt 82 of them. He is just to skinny. Smooth as silk and to good to be in Junior next year, I wonder if they keep him up for October/November just to work out and be in an NHL atmosphere and send him back to Junior for the WJC and playoffs.
- tuna99

Doubt the burn a year of his contract to just send him down later. If he as improved since last years training camp (by all accounts he has), he'll probably get a 9 game trial. Playing isolated minutes does not help development, unless those minutes slowly increase to legitimate minutes.

I think Chabot has great tools, but his style of play is ver difficult to execute in the NHL. Important to put him in when the time is right to succeed. So many good puck moving d-men just can't crack it in the NHL as hoped.

I will agree that easing Chabot in may be the best strategy, but Pageau was sorta eased into it himself. He was sent back a few times.

I wouldn't say things haven't 'worked out' with Zibanejad. The guy had 2x20+ goal seasons and a single 50+ point season and he hadn't even hit his 23rd birthday yet. He will be 23 through the upcoming season. He is still trending positively, and taking the step of spending the summer with pro trainers should continue that. I'm hoping for a 60 point season from him this year. It's a big jump, but I feel he's started to show the maturity needed to have the consistency for a full season of solid play. I mean, not everyone is a Crosby or McDavid. Some guys take a few seasons to really hit their stride. I think Zibanejad is one of them.
- MaxTLimit

I think Zibby is fine. I just pointed out that he got a step in the NHL probably a little sooner than he probably should have. He's become a decent piece to this team. I think we all want more consistency from him, but he is training differently this summer, so maybe that helps.

I just think our new management and coaching staff will change the way we bring up young players. We've already seen that with the announcement that Colin White will be staying in the NCAA no matter what.

We wanted changes right? We have a new GM and coaching staff. You can't expect them to do the same things we have been doing. It's why changes have been made.

Burns for the Norris!

I think Zibby is fine. I just pointed out that he got a step in the NHL probably a little sooner than he probably should have. He's become a decent piece to this team. I think we all want more consistency from him, but he is training differently this summer, so maybe that helps.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I think the wording is what gave me a bit of a 'huh?' response. Those two names mentioned close to each other....

I just think our new management and coaching staff will change the way we bring up young players. We've already seen that with the announcement that Colin White will be staying in the NCAA no matter what.

We wanted changes right? We have a new GM and coaching staff. You can't expect them to do the same things we have been doing. It's why changes have been made.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I'm fine with letting Perron, Chabot, and White stay down for some seasoning. Of those names, I think Chabot is most likely to see some NHL time this year. I'd like to see him fill in when injuries hit. Hopefully the number of times that is required is less than what would burn a year.

we don't need a top 2 D... we have Methot who is established number 2 and Phaneuf an established #3, we need a 4-5 D. Also, don't trade Zibby I think he is one of the players that will benefit the most with the new coach and hes got to much potential. Ryan on the other hand I don't mind trading.
- PtotheY

Methot IMO isnt a true #2 D...
His strength is that he has developed great chemistry with Karlsson and allows EK to do his thing at an elite level. Where would Methot slide in on a team playing for the cup? Thats the standard Im using because that is the ultimate goal.
I want to see our defence become more defensive.
We allowed so many shots per game last year it was ridiculous.
Methot (or a player like him) anchoring the third pairing IMO would be ideal as long as the #6 guy isn't a pylon.

Also FWIW I really hope they let Chabot warm up in the AHL for at least half a season.
Is he even eligible to play there this coming season? I really respect the Detroit model of letting talent ripen (almost over ripen) before they are promoted.