Marc Methot to Binghamton: Chris Wideman Gets His Chance (Sort of…)
On Friday, the Ottawa Senators announced that Marc Methot would join the Binghamton Senators in the AHL for a conditioning stint.
As per the Ottawa Senators Twitter account:
Roster update: The #Sens have assigned defenceman Marc Methot to Binghamton on a conditioning assignment. cc: @BSens_Hockey
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) January 2, 2015
Marc Methot made a brief return from off-season back trouble in early December before aggravating the injury.
The 6’3, 230 lbs. Ottawa native is a welcome sight for Head Coach Dave Cameron’s squad. Many of the Senators’ young defensemen have struggled to manage the puck this season.
In fact, each of Jared Cowen, Mark Borowiecki, Cody Ceci, Erik Gryba, and veteran Chris Phillips have posted Corsi For percentages (CF%) below 48 percent. Each of these five defensemen is below the team average CF%. It isn’t necessarily strange for a team’s defense corps to lag in puck possession. But, Marc Methot’s 52.1 CF% from last season is certain to be a boon for the mostly young group of blue liners.
Marc Methot Down, Chris Wideman Up
While Marc Methot is conditioning with Binghamton, 24-year-old defenseman Chris Wideman will get his chance in the NHL.
Sort of.
Despite leading Binghamton with 29 points in 32 games, Senators Head Coach Dave Cameron has made it clear that Wideman will only dress for a game in an emergency.
As Cameron said to the Ottawa Sun’s Don Brennan:
Right now [Chris Wideman]’s not going to play. Something is going to have to happen for him to play. He will be with us for two games, for sure.
Cameron can be excused for his desire to preserve team chemistry by not deploying a brand new NHL defenseman, especially because Methot figures to return shortly.
But are the Ottawa Senators missing an opportunity to bolster the overall quality of their blue line for the rest of the season?
As written here, Chris Wideman has made a case for an NHL job (not just an emergency call-up) since last season. He has registered 80 points in 105 games and a plus-11 rating over the past two seasons (stats here). Wideman offers some offensive punch and defensive responsibility that deserves a chance at the NHL level.
By relegating Wideman to the press box during his first NHL call-up, the Sens may be missing out on a chance to make a permanent addition (and improvement) to their blue line.
What do you think, Ottawa Senators fans? Does Chris Wideman deserve a chance to play in the NHL while Marc Methot is in Binghamton? Or, is he best left as an emergency fill-in?