The past, present and future of Colin White
There was a time not that long ago, where the future of the Ottawa Senators’ forward core was much different than what it looks like right now. That time was the end of the 2018-19 season, when the Senators needed to hit the reset button and truly start their rebuild. Much of the teams’ core in 2022 feels different, especially in comparison to 2019.
Right now, 5 of the Sens top six forwards are 23 or younger. Those are: Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle and Alex Formenton. But back in 2019, the future seemed bleak, with only a couple players looking to be a part of the team’s long term plans. Two of those, Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot, are now locked up to long term contracts. The third was Colin White, who was the first player to sign a long-term deal. In the summer of 2019, Colin White inked a 6 year, 4.75 million AAV contract as a 22 year old. White was coming off of a solid season, with 41 points in 71 games.
In 2019, the Sens appeared to have a bright future, albeit one that was far away. Their future assets were either prospects, or younger players still on entry level contracts. When White signed, it came as a surprise that:
- A younger player wanted to be here long term
- Owner Eugene Melnyk was prepared to offer a lucrative contract
Sens fans were still processing the losses of Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson, Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene, and Mark Stone in the span of 9 months. So many were happy to see that a younger player wanted to play for the Sens. Even if this contract didn’t work out, at least one of the team’s NHL ready prospects was committed to a team that was going through a rebuild.
Entering the 2019-20 season, there wasn’t much to look forward to on the Sens roster, other than the younger players in Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot and of course; Colin White. Because after 41 points in 71 games 2018-19, White was expected to take that next step. When White was drafted in 2015, many saw him as a second line center down the line. And the 2019-20 season ideally should have seen him take another step forward in his development. However, his sophomore season proved to be a difficult one for White, who struggled without veteran Mark Stone on his wing.
This led many to believe that White got his contract because of Mark Stone. In 51 games centering Stone, White scored 33 points: a 52-point pace over the course of a full season. But after Stone was traded at the 2019 trade deadline, White finished the year with only 8 points in his next 20 games.
Fast forward to 2019-20, Whites’ responsibilities were increased, but his production did not. In his first 55 games, where he managed to tally only 16 points. Once he started to get hot again with 7 points over his next 6 games, the league was shut down by COVID.
This began a long off-season, where White had to wait 10 months to play his next regular season hockey game in 2020-21. While 2019-20 was disappointing statistically, 2020-21 offered the chance for a bounce back year for him offensively. White would have some more offensive weapons to play with in Josh Norris, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle. However, that was put on hold because he was a healthy scratch for the home opener. In a confusing move by DJ Smith, the Sens coach made the decision to scratch a young, core piece for the opening game of the season.
He managed to get back into the lineup in short order but the setback was an unnecessary hurdle for a younger player in the league to whom reps are everything. He finished the year with 18 points in 45 games. A better year overall but still falling well shy of expectations to justify his contract.
Heading into this year, the Sens had an open slot in their second line center position. In theory, this would be a good opportunity for White to fulfill his potential. But he injured his shoulder which then required surgery. He would be out for the next 50 games.
These next 32 games will be crucial for his career, with 3 years still left on his contract. He got off to a good start, scoring a goal in his first game back on Saturday. But, what’s the plan for White going forward? A lot has changed for him since the 2018-19 season. Yes you could argue that his hefty pay raise was a tad premature but he’s still a useful NHL player.
While he’s listed as a center, he has a career face off percentage of 46%. In fact, in 2020-21, he was paired with Nick Paul so he could take draws on the right face off slot. His career numbers scream third line production, with an average of 36 points over an 82-game pace.
Due to his contract, the Senators have a difficult decision to make with him. Because he is under 26, this off season is the only time the Senators can buy him out at 1/3 of a cost.
Credit to Capfriendly:
If they bought him out in the summer of 2023, this is what it would cost them:
So, since he’s not great at faceoffs, he could find himself as a winger or maybe a winger/center hybrid. That would be someone who takes draws on his strong side of the ice. If he slots in a third line right wing spot, then (right now) that seems like his ideal situation. But Connor Brown has proved to be an extremely valuable player for the Sens, who is a UFA in 2023. Brown’s position has been the source of much debate amongst Sens fans, as he’s scoring like a top six player, but is probably more of a third liner on a contending team. If the Sens see Brown as a top six player, then White could fit on the third line right wing. But if the Sens acquire their desired top six winger, then it’s likely that Brown would move down to the lineup accordingly.
This would then leave White on the 4th line, which he’s too good for and no team wants a 4.75-million-dollar player playing on the 4th line.
It’s a tough decision Ottawa has on their hands this summer, because nothing but amazing things have been said about Colin White as a person and as a personality for the team. Many appreciate White for signing long term in the darkest days, which would help Thomas Chabot, Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk’s long term commitment. But you could argue he hasn’t been put in a proper NHL routine, and his hockey career has been full of speed bumps along the way.
He’s missed 81 games from injury, has been moved further away from center and been healthy scratched in the past two years. So, if the Sens really want to know where he’s at this season, they need to give him a role and have him stick with it for the duration of the 2021-22 campaign.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith