Let’s be honest. The Ottawa Senators have one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL. Trading top picks in 2022 and 2023 is starting to rear its ugly head, as the cupboards are bare when it comes to high-end talent.
But Carter Yakemchuk, the 7th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, represents the slightest glimmer of hope. He has the potential to be a top-pair offensive defenseman in the NHL if he develops properly.
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Consensus seems to be that the 20-year-old needs time in the American Hockey League with the club’s affiliate team, the Belleville Senators, to work on his defensive game.
But Yakemchuk, who recently returned from an injury that kept him out of the lineup for 13 games, might actually be better served developing in the NHL.
Let me make the case.
Before diving into why the Senators should get Yakemchuk to the NHL sooner rather than later, I want to make it clear that his development is critical for the future of this roster.
There isn’t much top-end help coming in the pipeline, but if he pans out and reaches his potential, the Senators could be set on the blueline for years to come with Jake Sanderson and Yakemchuk leading the way.
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So the pressure is on GM Steve Staios and his front office to find the right path for Yakemchuk, who was this regime’s first official draft pick.
The easy answer is patience. The organization has predicated itself on making calculated moves during Staios’ tenure, earning him the nickname Steady Steve.
It would feel out of character for the Senators to hand the keys to Yakemchuk and let him figure things out at the NHL level, instead of being patient and letting him get reps in the AHL while adapting to playing professional hockey.
On the surface, it looks like he has struggled to start his professional career. He is a -24 on the season with 19 points in 31 games. When a player is that far in the minuses, it raises eyebrows.
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But the stout defensive game that the NHL team has developed under head coach Travis Green is not quite trickling down the 416 and the 401 just yet.
Belleville is dead last in goals against in the AHL, despite having a team save percentage of .894. The BSens give up way more shots than the NHL team, which leads us back to Yakemchuk.
Is it smart for a player who has undeniable offensive talent but needs to work on his defensive game to be on a team that struggles to defend?
-24 is an ugly stat line for a rookie defenseman, but +/- needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Jake Sanderson was -14 last season, yet no Senators fan was saying he needed to work on his game defensively.
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I’m not pretending I’ve seen every single shift Yakemchuk has played in Belleville. The organization is obviously monitoring him closely, given his importance to the Senators’ future.
But it’s important to remember what Yakemchuk was drafted for. He is an offensive defenseman with skills that could help the NHL team today. I look at the Senators’ quietly struggling power play, which is ranked 31st in the NHL since Christmas.
Would it be crazy to get Yakemchuk on the first power play unit right away?
Sanderson’s game has reached a new level this season, and reducing his minutes with the man advantage would allow the Senators to use him at even strength more often, and could rejuvenate that area of the Sens’ game offensively.
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The power play just so happens to be where Yakemchuk has excelled in his first professional season, helping lead a top-5 power play in the AHL. Despite missing time with an injury, Yakemchuk ranks 8th in the league in power play assists, leading all rookies.
And with the way the Senators defend as a team, there might not be a better situation for a young defenseman to work on his defensive game.
His minutes could be sheltered behind Artem Zub and Jordan Spence, who have been excellent this season and would likely see more time at even strength than Yakemchuk.
He is also a 7th overall pick from two years ago. It’s fair to assume a player drafted that high can make an impact in the NHL at a young age.
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It’s worth noting that during his midseason media availability in December, Staios said Yakemchuk would likely have been called up by that point had he not been injured.
So maybe we will see him in Ottawa sooner than we think.
The bottom line is the Senators probably need to make an upgrade on veteran defenseman Nick Jensen if they want to push for a playoff spot, and the solution might be right under their noses.
They need to take a look at Yakemchuk in the NHL before shipping out assets to acquire another right-shot defenseman.
Jack Richardson
The Hockey News – Ottawa
This article was first published at The Hockey News. Read more from The Hockey News Ottawa:
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