{"id":133441,"date":"2022-11-14T12:13:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=133441"},"modified":"2022-11-14T12:13:49","modified_gmt":"2022-11-14T17:13:49","slug":"star-thomas-chabot-drives-ottawa-senators-defence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/11\/14\/star-thomas-chabot-drives-ottawa-senators-defence\/","title":{"rendered":"As Thomas Chabot Goes So Goes The Ottawa Senators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/11\/09\/ottawa-senators-news-pod\/\" target=\"_self\">headlines surrounding the Ottawa Senators<\/a>, and one of them is the focus on star defenceman, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/chaboth01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thomas Chabot<\/a>. Chabot, as well as fellow rearguard, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hamontr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Travis Hamonic<\/a>, did leave Saturday\u2019s game against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/flyers\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> with injuries. Needless to say, let\u2019s hope everything is all right. It seems to be the type of thing epitomizing the Senators organization. One day they are up for sale, and everyone is in shock, the next Canadian icon and nationwide heartthrob Ryan Reynolds is expressing interest. Back to Chabot, who this year, let\u2019s face it, has been the brunt of <a href=\"https:\/\/thehockeywriters.com\/senators-overreliance-chabot-signals-bigger-problems\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">much criticism from fans on social media<\/a>, despite very respectable numbers as we shall see.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thomas Chabot went to the Senators locker room after being hit into boards by Flyers forward Travis Konecny<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NHLAdamK\/status\/1591522648601026560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 12, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Pressure on the Sens Means Pressure on Thomas Chabot<\/h2>\n<p>Admittedly, the on-ice product has been difficult thus far, as expectations are so high. Every time Thomas Chabot makes a turnover, the fans want him benched. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sandeja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Sanderson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/branner01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Erik Brannstrom<\/a> have looked great this season, but that is a result of Chabot allowing them to avoid vulnerable situations. A quick review of Chabot&#8217;s on-ice analytics suggests that you are better with him playing big minutes than not.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"7018SuqhTz9sdQs1H6DYWw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1437138824\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'7018SuqhTz9sdQs1H6DYWw',sig:'saZAxWKvelLZ3vK82JhlwRWDEP2AQDE6H-si0vd6Jjg=',w:'594px',h:'417px',items:'1437138824',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>An Analytic Review of Chabot&#8217;s Performance<\/h3>\n<p>The Sens&#8217; big-name D-man, Chabot, has consistently been so offensively beneficial to the team, you can compare him to the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/makarca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cale Makar<\/a>. For his career, Makar has a CF% rel of 11.9. Thus far in 2022-23, Chabot has a CF% rel of 12.0. Albeit not a huge sample set to draw from, his total TOI of 341.9 mins, is starting to rack up there, when you consider his career high is 1845.1, from the 2019-20 season.<\/p>\n<p>According to MoneyPuck.com numbers, the descriptive statistics show largely the same ideas as has been presented. If we filter on defensive pairings league-wide over 60 mins played together total on the season the top Senators pairing is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/holdeni01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Holden<\/a> and Erik Brannstrom. This is followed by Sanderson and Hamonic who ranked 63rd league-wide.<\/p>\n<table style=\"height: 274px;\" width=\"673\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"64\"><strong>NHL Rank<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"58\"><strong>LHD<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"64\"><strong>RHD<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"55\"><strong>Total Min<\/strong><\/td>\n<td width=\"49\"><strong>xGOALS%<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"64\">56th<\/td>\n<td width=\"58\">Holden<\/td>\n<td width=\"64\">Brannstrom<\/td>\n<td width=\"55\">62.5<\/td>\n<td width=\"49\">50.0%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"64\">63rd<\/td>\n<td width=\"58\">Sanderson<\/td>\n<td width=\"64\">Hamonic<\/td>\n<td width=\"55\">152.7<\/td>\n<td width=\"49\">48.3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"64\">67th<\/td>\n<td width=\"58\">Chabot<\/td>\n<td width=\"64\">Zub<\/td>\n<td width=\"55\">115.1<\/td>\n<td width=\"49\">47.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"64\">1st<\/td>\n<td width=\"58\">Toews<\/td>\n<td width=\"64\">Makar<\/td>\n<td width=\"55\">136.2<\/td>\n<td width=\"49\">68.8%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Chabot&#8217;s Individual and Team Numbers Must Be Taken into Account<\/h3>\n<p>As we can see from the evidence, Chabot is struggling to find his game, much like the team as a collective group. We have seen some positive signs from playing with a youngster, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bernaja01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Bernard-Docker<\/a> until Chabot&#8217;s aforementioned injury cost him finishing the game. Bernard-Docker is a player looking to break into the lineup as a regular. It seems that Chabot benefits from a slick puck-moving defender. Even though Chabot isn\u2019t particularly physical, he is an extremely strong, dynamic, and powerful skater. Therefore, playing so much with Zub, despite making sense of putting the top left D with the top right D, does not reflect in the numbers. Chabot and Zub&#8217;s 47.9% xGOALS% is just not good enough for a competitive team.<\/p>\n<h3>Chabot Is Just One Piece of the Whole<\/h3>\n<p>Some critics may cite the lack of a worthy opponent, in the weak Flyers lineup, combined with the fact they are missing a few stars, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/coutuse01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sean Couturier<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/v\/vanrija01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">James van Riemsdyk<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/a\/atkinca01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Atkinson<\/a>. However, the Senators did walk away with a convincing 4 &#8211; 1 victory. Along the way, losing two defencemen to injury. It does seem positive, that when the Senators&#8217; defence gets healthy, their coaching decisions so began to become more clear.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"gvkB5LnnTElgI_xV3OQitA\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1244663912\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'gvkB5LnnTElgI_xV3OQitA',sig:'YOCuwLHsVh6-LsAglRLnX4T-RnAIV8KP6rwtgk1RjDs=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1244663912',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many headlines surrounding the Ottawa Senators, and one of them is the focus on star defenceman, Thomas Chabot. Chabot, as well as fellow rearguard, Travis Hamonic, did leave Saturday\u2019s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with injuries. Needless to say, let\u2019s hope everything is all right. It seems to be the type of thing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4222,"featured_media":133469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4547,4548],"tags":[804],"class_list":["post-133441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-senators","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-thomas-chabot"],"modified_by":"Noah Foster, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4222"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}