Today we hand out the Report Card to a blueliner who is essentially the Rodney Dangerfield of the team - Eric Gryba.
PRE-SEASON EXPECTATION
Much like anyone on the blue line not named Erik Karlsson, we weren't really sure what to expect from Gryba, primarily because of the fact that there was a glut of blueliners that were considered 5/6/7 guys in the league. How many games he would play was a question, although you pretty much knew what you were going to get. Nothing flashy but a guy that could throw the body around and kill some penalties.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
There certainly was no flash, but Gryba actually put in a pretty solid season. He played the third most games of any Senators defenseman, and chipped in a career high 12 assists and 12 points. Add to that a career high +11 rating and although he is still a 5/6/7 defenseman, he is a pretty solid one.
THE HARD STATS
THE FANCY STATS
There aren't many defensemen in the division who have the ruggedness that Borowiecki and Gryba bring, that play as consistently as they do. It worked for the Senators under the Cameron system, where that duo thrived when goalies were actually making saves.
THE "KEY" STATS
Only Cody Ceci logged more time on the PK this season than Gryba.
FUTURE OUTLOOK
Gryba is much maligned at times (hence the above mentioned Rodney Dangerfield reference that might show my age), but made great strides over the course of the season. He will never break your bank, and you need guys like that to round out your blue line. He seems to know what he is and what he needs to do to stay in the league, and does his job on a nightly basis without the need for the spotlight or big recognition.
That being said, he is obviously a guy that a lot of people point to when they talk about upgrading the blue line, as he isn't a kid (he is 27 years old). And while a team does need players of his ilk, the Senators have that in abundance.
He can certainly give you a good 15 minutes on most nights, but like almost anyone else he is going to get caught at times in his own end, but like some other blueliners he can't really make up for it at the other end.
The bottom line is, important but relatively easy to replace.
GRADE: Gryba was counted on heavily to protect his own end, and he did that pretty effectively on most nights. He and Borowiecki formed a solid 3rd pair that could play against almost anyone that they were put out against, especially considering the percentage of defensive zone starts they were subjected to. C+ .
Up tomorrow is a forward who started out well, but really fizzled and had a difficult time finding his role on the team, and his name is not Bobby Ryan.
If you missed them, check out prior Report Cards: