Ottawa Senators: Holding Carter Yakemchuk's NHL Preseason Debut in Perspective

Ottawa Senators defenceman Carter Yakemchuk had a wonderful preseason NHL debut in Toronto on Sunday evening. I have to admit that, as loopy it felt, I began pondering for the primary time about what Yakemchuk would possibly appear like within the NHL.

Based mostly on the replies and likes, I wasn’t alone.

90 minutes later, Yakemchuk went out and gained the sport in extra time on a pleasant finish to finish rush. He moved up the ice at half pace, made a lightning fast transfer on the blue line to beat Jake McCabe to the within. Mitch Marner then lazily let him minimize to the far publish to beat Matt Murray with a backhand objective.

On a 1-on-2 extra time rush, 18-year-old defencemen aren’t presupposed to have the poise to assault and win the sport by themselves. It was spectacular and obtained individuals pondering, myself included.

However immediately, within the mild of day, it is time for a little bit perspective. It was an ideal first impression and nothing extra.

Till final evening, nobody had even considered Yakemchuk as an NHL possibility this season. Let’s not neglect, it is a workforce that would actually use one other proper shot D. Proper now, their choices for the final opening are Travis Hamonic, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Calen Addison, or Max Guenette.

If we’re sincere, there is a motive nobody was even eager about the thought of Yakemchuk making the NHL this season. It is as a result of it is a dangerous concept.

Final evening was an encouraging begin, enjoyable as hell, and price a daydream or two about what a weapon Yakemchuk might be for Ottawa’s blue line… sometime. However in the event you imagine in finest practices, and this workforce does, it is a loopy notion to truly preserve him in Ottawa this season.

Cale Makar could be the sport’s finest defenceman proper now and he spent two years at UMass-Amherst after he was drafted fourth general by the Colorado Avalanche. Jake Sanderson did two years at North Dakota after he went fifth on his NHL draft day.

These sound like fairly strong templates for the Senators to comply with. There’s completely no compelling motive to disregard them. Actually not due to a preseason efficiency on September twenty second.

The child has ability and confidence and you may’t have one with out the opposite. The very last thing the Sens have to do is mess with that. I’d be shocked in the event that they’re even eager about it.

Yakemchuk has a ton going for him, however there’s work to do on defending and on faster toes. At finest, if he continues to play nicely, you give him a few video games in that nine-game window. Then give him a sport plan and let him proceed to confidently develop in opposition to his friends the place there’s much less consideration and fewer on the road.

Yakemchuk seems like a hell of a prospect and his time will come. However that point is not now. Name me a moist blanket or Debbie Downer if you would like. I am good with it. However the concept of dashing Yakemchuk to the NHL as a young person is, certainly not, finest in school.

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