Ex-NHLer Marc Methot deems $64,000,000 Senators D-man & Travis Hamonic as improper duos

Former NHL player Marc Methot has criticized the defensive pairing of Jake Sanderson and Travis Hamonic for the Ottawa Senators.

After a recent loss to the Colorado Avalanche, Methot posted on X that this duo does not work well together. He pointed out that Sanderson, who signed a big eight-year, $64.4 million contract, needs a better partner.

"What stands out to me about last night’s Sens loss in Colorado is pretty simple. You can’t have Jake Sanderson and Travis Hamonic playing together. I haven’t seen the underlying numbers yet, but I would imagine they aren’t good. Sanderson is your best all-around player. He needs a proper D partner. It’s no wonder the team is struggling."

In the game against the Avalanche, Sanderson recorded an assist but struggled in the previous game against the Golden Knights, finishing with a -4 rating. Despite this, he has been productive, with six of his eight points coming from power plays.

In eight games this season, Sanderson has 16 shots, 23 blocked shots, nine hits, and a -5 rating. Methot’s comments highlight the need for the Senators to find a better partner for Sanderson.

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Marc Methot talked about Linus Ullmark on live broadcast

Earlier during a TSN broadcast, Marc Methot talked about Linus Ullmark and his role with the Ottawa Senators this season. He noted that there was excitement around Ullmark during training camp.

However, he was cautious because Ullmark was moving from the Boston Bruins to the Senators.

Methot praised Ullmark’s performance and pointed out that Ullmark is calm and effective in the net.

"When I'm watching him," Methot said, "I'm not by any means a goaltending expert. But just watching him, he's not relying on those athletic saves. It’s a lot of just calm and cold between the pipes, covering the angles. He's got great legs, and gets them out there nice and wide with those extremities. So for me, I think this is a welcoming change for Ottawa."

Marc Methot stated that Ullmark does not need to play like a Presidents' Trophy winner; he just needs to be consistent.

"Having a guy back of that caliber ... He just needs to be consistent, and we saw some of that tonight," Methot said.

Against Avalanche, Ullmark stopped both shots he faced in 4:46 of play. He is expected to be the Senators' No. 1 goalie again after recovering from a muscle strain. Ullmark is likely to start in their next game against the St. Louis Blues.