While the Ottawa Senators’ defensive structure has been questioned, and rightly so, there’s no denying that the team improved in its defensive numbers last season. While the group continues to improve as a cohesive unit, let’s assess how the defensemen did individually for the 2022-23 season.
Jacob Bernard-Docker: C+
Here’s a player that’s tough to evaluate. Since graduating from college, his offensive game has dried up at both the NHL and AHL level. In 32 NHL games he has 2 points. Meanwhile in the AHL, he hasn’t fared much better posting only 15 points in 99 games.
The thing about Bernard-Docker is that his presence on the ice doesn’t hurt the team. He’ll rarely make irresponsible plays that cost the team points in the standings. But what is his upside and is it worth keeping around long term? He isn’t a physical player and doesn’t provide a lot of offense as a puck moving defenseman. He will require waivers next year, so Dorion is going to have to decide if JBD is still in their plans moving forward.
Erik Brannstrom: B
Brannstrom once again, was the most divisive defensemen amongst the fan base in terms of his performance. The 23 year old was brought in to be an offensive defenseman back in 2019, but that hasn’t gone according to plan.
While he may not have reached the elite puck mover status scouts believed he would, he’s worked on other areas of his game while playing only 16 minutes a night. His 18 points in 74 games was nothing spectacular, but he had a nice stretch when games took on added importance. 14 of his 18 points came in the last 29 games, which may give Dorion a reason to keep him around. But how large a role he plays in the Sens core moving forward is still up for debate.
Thomas Chabot: B-
By all accounts, this was perhaps Chabot’s worst season since becoming a full time NHL skater in 2018. Remember, this is a player that averaged 25 minutes of ice time this season, so mistakes are more likely to happen. While the coaching staff needs to wear some of the responsibility for his overuse, it was nevertheless a down year by Chabot’s lofty standards.
That still doesn’t dismiss the fact that Chabot needs to have a bounce back year in 2023-24. His offensive game was right-on par where he has been the past couple of seasons with 41 points in 68 games. Hopefully with Chychrun now on the team for the next two seasons, Sanderson’s emergence and Artem Zub’s progress, Chabot’s ice time will decrease, leading to more efficient results.
Jakob Chychrun: B+
The big trade deadline acquisition fit right in with the Senators, but unfortunately got cut in half due to an injury that left him out of the lineup for the last 10 games. I will say Chychruns’ injury has me concerned, as he hasn’t played over 70 games since joining the league in 2016. Chychruns’ game was a nice mix of power and skill. He has a great defensive stick, booming shot and can play the right side as a left shot. He played penalty kill and on the second power play unit while logging 21 minutes a night. It’s unfortunate that he couldn’t show fans more of what he could bring to the table.
Travis Hamonic: B
When Nikita Zaitsev left, the Sens fan base needed another player to target as the “whipping boy” on the backend. Hamonic was suspect #1, but he did everything he could to change that narrative down the stretch as he played arguably his best hockey in the last month of the season.
His offensive game even came out with 10 points in his last 18 contests. With Chychrun added at the deadline, Hamonic’s ice time was dialed back and it evidently helped his game. Hamonic isn’t the player he was in the mid 2010’s, but he did everything the Sens asked him to. The Sens will be cap strapped this summer, but Hamonic should be brought back on a short-term deal if the term and figure is right.
Nick Holden: C+
Holden was a pleasant addition in 2021-22, playing top four minutes on a defensively challenged team. This season it was clear that his game had taken a step back, but I don’t believe he was as bad as some made him out to be.
While not a fast skater, Holden makes the right play more often than the average defenseman. Like Hamonic, he did everything that was asked to do while in Ottawa. 16 points in 65 games for a 35-year-old defenseman is also pretty good. Dorion announced that he will not be back next season, but he almost certainly will find work with another club next year.
Jake Sanderson: A
The Senators defensive group took a step forward this year, and a huge part was because of Sanderson. He’s a fantastic skater paired with a great stick and elite defensive IQ. His offensive game has always been questioned, but 32 points in 77 games shows that he has the tools. The question is: what is Sandersons’ upside? At 20 years old, the defensive game is excellent and his offensive game will only get better. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
Artem Zub: A-
It’s nice to know that Zub is now locked up for the next 4 years at a reasonable $4.6 million cap hit. While he had a quiet season overall, he was once again one of the Sens most consistent defenders. He and Sanderson looked like a formidable shutdown pair in the homestretch of the season. As long as he is playing in the #3 or #4 spot, then you will likely get a good performance out of him.
Anton Forsberg: B-
Like Talbot, Forsberg also has struggled with injuries over the years. Instead of minor ones throughout the season, Forsberg was out for the year after tearing BOTH MCLs back in February. He ended the season with a .902 save percentage, which was just below the league average.
Forsberg unfortunately didn’t have time to recover from a subpar first 20 games which affected his end of year stats. While Forsberg didn’t have a stellar performance, his season was passable. He’s consistent and doesn’t go through long slumps that hinder the team’s place in the standings too much. He will be back next year with a new goalie to share the crease with, but if Ottawa is expecting him to be a true number 1, they may be left wanting more in 2023-24.
Cam Talbot: C-
Talbot’s presence in Ottawa was a tale of two halves, which resulted in a disappointing ending. With excitement surrounding Talbot’s arrival this summer, he started off hot. Through his first 20 games, he had a .915 save percentage and was coming off a 49 save performance in a 3-2 win against the dominant Boston Bruins.
From there on however, injuries and inconsistent play caused Talbot to fall out of the future plans for Ottawa. Across his next 16 games, he had an .871 save percentage as the Sens were pushing for a playoff spot. Twisting the knife even more, Filip Gustavsson who was dealt to Minnesota thrived in his first year with the Wild.
Mads Sogaard: C
Let’s make this clear: unless there was an emergency, the plan last year with Mads Sogaard was to keep him in the AHL as much as the organization could. But because of goaltending injuries to both Talbot and Forsberg, Sogaard was counted on to be the starting goalie for the Sens in the most crucial stretch of the season.
He ended up playing 19 games, finishing with a save percentage of .889. When called up in February, he actually started off hot with a .922 through the first couple of games and even won rookie of the month. Across his next 13 games however, he had a .876 save percentage. It was clear that he wasn’t ready, but it still feels rough to grade him due to the unfortunate circumstances.
Mads may still have a role to play with the team in the future, but for his own development, fans should hope he stays in the AHL next season.
-Damian Smith
Twitter: @Damian__Smith
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.