Ottawa Senators Must Return Carter Yakemchuk to WHL – Hockey Writers – Ottawa Senators

As the 2024-25 season begins, all eyes were on the Ottawa Senators first round pick from the recent draft, and Carter Yakemchuk did not disappoint. Not only did the defenseman score a nice overtime goal in his NHL debut against the rival Toronto Maple Leafs, but he did it against Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and Jake McCabe, circling them like they weren’t there. There. His effort shocked the Toronto crowd and his coach, Travis Green, who could only say, “Wow.”

Rookie defenseman Carter Yakemchuk wins it for the Senators! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/5xUlQynoW0

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 23, 2024

After an impressive performance in his first game, it was impossible not to imagine Yakemchuk’s potential on the Senators’ blueline in 2024-25. He has size and a right-handed shot, making him an attractive option for Ottawa’s open third pairing. However, despite the potential merits, keeping Yakemchuk in the NHL would be a huge mistake that could have long-term consequences for the franchise. Not only did it hinder his development, but it could shorten the career of the team that is the only hope of a team with a high level of defense. No matter how well he does in the preseason, he needs to spend at least one more season back in the Western Hockey League (WHL).

NHL Preseason Hides Many Problems

The NHL preseason is a lot of fun. Rookies and prospects are given starring roles alongside the best players in the game, allowing them to flourish in ways they couldn’t during the regular season. Veterans also tend to take it easy in the early season — just look at how Marner and Matthews swing in the clip above — because they know they’ve already made the team and don’t want to risk getting hurt in games that don’t matter. stop. For those reasons, it could present a twisted version of the NHL and any results should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, Ty Rattie was the best player during the start of the 2018-19 season, scoring just four goals in 50 regular season games.

Related: Senate News & Rumors: Ullmark, Norris, Yakemchuk

There is no doubting Yakemchuk’s abilities. He’s been impressive throughout training camp, leading Green to team him up with Thomas Chabot to try to give the 18-year-old a solid mentor in his NHL debut. But after seeing his confidence and skill with the puck, one captain of the Senators said, “He’s a good player, fluid out there, sees the game well, has a high-quality shot. So you know what? I don’t have much to teach him. I think he’s found a lot, and it’s about helping him and helping him.”

If Chabot doesn’t have much to teach Yakemchuk, there’s an argument that he should be one of the Senators’ season-opening six. But his defense is still a major work in progress; last season he used to make overconfident plays that ended up hurting his team by coughing or losing track of his own man. He also needs to improve his skating, as he can get caught flat-footed and currently lacks the speed to catch it. It’s no mistake that he scored 30 goals last season in the WHL and his vision and energy are huge assets for him in this area. However, there were still moments in his debut where he lost track of players leading to opportunities, proving that he is not ready for the NHL yet.

Calgary Offers the Best Place to Develop

Right now, the Senators have most of their blue line locked up for 2024-25. Artem Zub, Chabot, Jake Sanderson, and Nick Jensen are guaranteed to start the year in the top four, leaving question marks for the bottom pairing. Playing on the third pairing is no easy feat; minutes are limited and are often tasked with shutting down opponents before giving way to strong defenders in the first and second pairings. That’s why Green wants consistency from whoever ends up there, and why teams often hire tough veterans to handle it.

Last season, Yakemchuk was wildly inconsistent, at times looking like a different player from shift to shift. Although he made huge strides in his rookie season, there were still times when he looked like a rookie and had some bad shifts against the Maple Leafs. Furthermore, while he has the size and physicality to be a grinding NHL defenseman, he projects to be an offensive contributor and still lacks a lot of upside in his defensive game. Putting him in the third pairing as an 18-year-old would have set him up for failure.

Back with the Calgary Hitmen, however, Yakemchuk will be the team’s top defender. He will regularly play more than 20 minutes a night, run the team’s power play, and rebound their breakouts. After missing the playoffs last season, the Hitmen are looking to take a step forward, especially on the back end. The team added 6-foot-5 Axel Hurtig in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft and draft-eligible Reese Hamilton could be a first-round pick this season. Both were left, however, giving Yakemchuk his choice of defensive partners. Both offer excellent opportunities to improve other aspects of his game, and another junior season will help solve his inconsistency issues.

Senators Will Not Jeopardize Their Development

Many players have made the NHL immediately after their draft year and have gone on to have successful NHL careers. However, that is more common among forwards than defenders. According to Quant Hockey, only 36 defensemen have played 10 or more games in the NHL by age 18 since the amateur draft was introduced in 1969. the best defensemen in the NHL right now. But there’s also Gord Kluzak, another first-round pick, who suffered a knee injury after joining the Boston Bruins and retired in 1991. Aki Berg also struggled with injuries after finishing third in 1995, as did Wayne McBean, who finished fourth in 1987 as well. he has been described as a Paul Coffey-type player.

Defenders take a long time to develop. The defensive side of hockey is difficult to master and very physically demanding, and few players coming out of their draft season have all the tools necessary to succeed in the NHL. Take Dahlin, who struggled to look like the generational star he was pegged for until 2022-23, when he scored 73 points in 77 games. Even Chabot, who played two junior seasons before making the Senators, was overused early in his career and that likely led to injuries.

So, maybe Yakemchuk can play in the NHL this season. Perhaps he would do best as a big, hard-hitting third baseman. One of the best ways to learn a new skill is by necessity, and you’ll need to find consistency and defense quickly in that role. But putting him in that role will also force him to compromise on his creativity and puck shifting skills, two areas that will make him the best defenseman in the league one day. The Senators don’t need another Erik Brannstrom, who has been forced to play third-pairing defensive hockey which has killed his ability as a leading puck-four defender. With few top prospects in their program, Ottawa needs to be patient with Yakemchuk, no matter how good he is right now.