Ottawa Senators: How Much Is Marc Methot Worth to the Sens?

The Ottawa Senators have had a strong start to the season, winning four of their first five games. 

Despite that, their possession stats have been awful. The Sens have fallen to 28th in the NHL in Corsi For (CF) percentage, down from finishing in eighth spot in CF percentage last season. In the long run, the lack of puck possession will catch up with the Senators and lead to a free fall to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Though the season is still young, the notable drop in possession raises the question: How much is Marc Methot worth to the Sens?

Marc Methot: Resisting the Urge to Overpay

By all accounts, Marc Methot is a good guy who is happy to be in Ottawa. 

And when the injured defenseman is ready to return to the lineup, his physical style adds a lot to the back end for the Ottawa Senators. Just ask Mikael Granlund. 

But with contract discussions stalled and Methot's camp looking for as much as reported five-year, $27.5 million contract extension, per Pierre Lebrun at ESPN.com, Sens fans must ask, is MM worth that much?

In short, the answer is likely no.

Despite Methot's 52.1 CF percentage last season, his Corsi score relative to those of his teammates was actually -0.5, revealing that Methot's possession was actually below that of the average Senators player. Erik Karlsson, Patrick Wiercioch, Joe Corvo and Chris Phillips all finished with a higher relative CF percentage.

This is concerning, particularly because only Karlsson and Wiercioch started a lower percentage of their shifts in the defensive zone, meaning that Methot wasn't overly burdened with possession-stat-killing defensive-zone starts.

Though serviceable, these analytics reveal a player whose defensive skill set is likely a little overestimated in the nation's capital. 

Len Redkoles/Getty Images

But serviceable, minute-munching defensemen carry value in the NHL. Marc Methot handled the second-most minutes for the Sens last year, logging 200 minutes more ice time than the third-highest skater on the list. There's value in that kind of a workhorse defensemen. At his current contract level of $3.75 million a year ($3 million-a-year cap hit), Capgeek lists Clayton Stoner, Roman Polak, and Andy Greene as comparably compensated players. At that level, a workhorse with about team-average possession skills is valuable.

However, if Methot moves into the $5 million-a-year range, his new comparable defensemen, per Capgeek, include Jay Bouwmeester, Brent Seabrook, and Keith Yandle. That's much tougher company for the solid stay-at-home blueliner to keep.

In Conclusion

Marc Methot is a hometown guy. His asking price may only be $300,000 higher than what the Ottawa Senators have offered. per the 6th Sens. In that case, it's difficult to imagine that a deal won't be struck between the two sides.

But at $5 million USD over five seasons, this deal could be one that the Senators would be better off without.

What do you think, Sens fans? Is $5 million a year for five years a fair deal for the likable defenseman or too much for a replaceable player?

All possession stats courtesy of Puckalytics, unless indicated otherwise