In this edition of the hotstove we share our thoughts on the most underutilized defenseman in the Eastern Conference.
Todd Cordell
Thomas Chabot stands out as an easy choice for a few reasons.
The 20-year-old rookie has certainly made the most of his sheltered ice as he ranks 2nd among Senators defensemen in Corsi For%, 1st in Goals For%, 1st in Scoring Chance For% and 1st in points per 60 at 5v5.
Despite his impressive underlying numbers – and possessing better puck skills and skating ability than every defenseman on the roster besides Erik Karlsson – he ranks last among Ottawa's regular defensemen in 5v5 ice per game and has been scratched/sent back and forth to Belleville throughout the year.
Chabot deserves more minutes to begin with. When you consider Ottawa isn't even close to a playoff spot, it's even more inexcusable his usage is so low. At this point the season is lost so the focus should be on getting young players some experience and developing them.
James Tanner The most underused defenseman in the Eastern Conference is Connor Carrick. He is third on the Maple Leafs in relative CF%. He leads the Leafs in shots against/60, expected goals for%, and expected goals against/60. He is a career 52.84% possession player.
Last season he was paired with Jake Gardiner to form the Leafs best pairing. This year he's only gotten into 31 of 51 games, despite being healthy. He's a legit top four option on a contending team and he NEEDS more ice time. The Leafs play Roman Polak and Andreas Borgman ahead of him, which has to be one of the biggest injustices in the NHL. …‹ …‹…‹…‹…‹Recent posts