Back to the report cards today after a few days off...today we look at a forward who had the unenviable task of coming back in a trade that the Senators couldn't possibly have won in the short term.
PRE-SEASON EXPECTATION
Chiasson came to Ottawa with a lot of expectation and pressure, being the only warm body in the lineup from the Jason Spezza trade last summer. Chiasson had shown the ability to be a scorer (11 goals and 17 points in his first 16 NHL games) in Dallas but also showed longer stretches of games where he would disappear or pick up a point here and a point there. Still, he had the size and the potential to be a top 6 forward on the Senators and fill a power forward role.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
The season actually started out ok. It wasn't quite his first stint in Dallas good, but for a time period he led the Senators in goals and had 13 points in 24 games under Paul MacLean. Not exactly a point per game pace, but if that continued over the season a 45-50 point year would be a nice addition to the lineup.
After Dave Cameron took over, he managed just 3 points in his next 17 games, and put up pointless streaks of 11 and 10 games at different points in the season. He found himself falling down the depth chart with the emergence of Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Curtis Lazar, and quite often found himself on the fourth line. His ice time, which averaged about 15 minutes per game in October and November, dwindled to about 10 in March and April, and he was even scratched for two of the 6 games in the first round playoff series against Montreal.
THE HARD STATS
THE FANCY STATS
Some comparables are closer than others to what Chiasson could expect to become, but if he became a guy like Lucic, or even Abdlekader wouldn't be a bad thing.
THE "KEY" STATS
Was one of 10 Senators forwards with a better than 10% shooting percentage, but he only took 105 shots in 76 games played.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
He was passed on the depth chart, but Chiasson (who is a RFA this summer) showed at times that he can be a pretty effective player even when not scoring. If you look at the upside, Milan Lucic could be the player you would want to see him eventually turn into. He can play a physical game but needs to get a bit meaner and more intense, which should bring more consistency. As of right now, I don't see him getting back into the Senators' top 6 any time soon, at least on a nightly basis.
GRADE: There were flashes of what "could be" but they weren't often enough or bright enough to outshine long droughts where you often forgot he was even in the lineup. C- .
Up next is a guy who was in Paul MacLean's doghouse for the better part of two seasons but by the end of this year was a primary contributor.
If you missed them, check out prior Report Cards: