Before the sports world came to a screeching halt, the National Hockey League was on its way to the commencement of the post-season. While some teams were gearing up for the long haul, other teams focused on bringing success into their organization for the future. For some fans, Ottawa Senators forward Colin White season was a disaster as it progressed on. Depending on who you ask, some might think White had an ok season or one to forget for the ages. To be specific, White’s season wasn’t all that bad when you consider the factors he was dealing with.
Colin White’s 2019-2020 Season
Before the NHL season was suspended on March 12th due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Senators had their eyes set on the lottery.
For Ottawa Senators forward Colin White, it was about accepting his low point totals. White managed to score 23 points in 61 games played, totalling seven goals and 16 assists.
He was on pace to finish with 31 points hypothetically speaking and had a shooting percentage of 8.4%. With the primary scoring numbers out of the way, let’s look at why this might’ve been such a dreadful season for the 23-year-old.
Line Combinations
Through the 2019-20 season, White saw himself on a line with Drake Batherson and Tyler Ennis for the most part (9.6% according to Frozenpool.dobberprospects.com) during even-strength play.
Right off the bat, whether it was head coach D.J. Smith not deploying him correctly or another factor, his linemates could’ve been better. Batherson was a rookie, and while Ennis added to the Senators’ depth, he’s not someone who can drive the play as his role doesn’t fit that specific skillset.
While he shared the ice with those two for the majority of the year, he also saw himself on a line with Bobby Ryan and fan favourite Brady Tkachuk.
The fact of the matter is, Colin White should’ve seen some better linemates in his 2019-20 season. In the end that didn’t happen. Instead of dwelling on it, White should use these unknown times to look forward to what next season may bring for him.
How Time On Ice Fits the Line Combination Narrative
The last factor for Colin White and his rollercoaster of a season was his time on ice totals. For as much as White couldn’t get his season rolling, he actually ended the season on a seven-game point streak.
If you were to look at his average time on ice for the season he sat at an average of 15:42. While it doesn’t seem low, considering White also struggled with injuries all year, it fits into the line combination we were looking into earlier.
The 15:42 isn’t a great number, but it’s something that Colin White can juggle with at the end of the day. His time on the power play can definitely be something that White can be proud of. Throughout the season, he managed to average 2:10 of power play time.
This is all to say that maybe Colin White didn’t get great minutes because of the line combination blender he was thrown into by D.J. Smith.
The Final Word On Ottawa Senators Forward Colin White
If you look at the big picture surrounding White’s season, it’s not anything that’ll get you out of your seat. His point totals in comparison last year were a -18 differential. While the points weren’t there, his face-off percentages were still afloat. White ended up finishing the season winning 47.4% of the draws he took.
A season like this couldn’t have come at a worse time for White. Just last off-season, he signed a six-year deal with the Ottawa Senators, making him a core piece of their future plans. Calling it quits on him might be something that’s still too soon to decide, but the next year or two will really show how White will respond to this setback he faced.
For Colin White, he has no choice but to turn his game around. The Senators went full house on him last off-season, and when the NHL does get rolling again, it’ll be integral for White to show his value and worth.
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