The Ottawa Senators get a little break from game action this week. Following their 4-3 overtime loss in Montreal on Saturday night, which ended a run of six games in ten days, the Senators won't face off again until this Thursday night in Boston against the Bruins.
The Senators went 4-1-1 in those six games, and on Monday, head coach Travis Green took a moment to give some credit to his fourth-line winger and enforcer, Kurtis MacDermid, a player who's been in and out of the lineup and hasn't gotten much media or fan love in the first month of the season.
Green was asked by TSN 1200's Gord Wilson about the play of Lars Eller, and the coach quickly spun the topic over to MacDermid. Green had obviously heard or read some of the media and fan critiques of having the enforcer in his lineup.
"I've liked that line with Eller, MacDermid and Zetterlund in different ways," Green said. "I know there's been a little talk about Dermi being in the lineup. We're 4-1-1 with McDermid in the lineup. And I don't know if there's been any talk about that.
"He brings an element that is hard to find, but he also understands that he might not play that much some nights."
Green pointed to the flexibility that brings, allowing him to give extra minutes to some of his top guys without anyone's nose being out of joint.
"We've scored two goals by being able to put Drake Batherson or someone else out with that line. They scored a big goal against Calgary and scored one in Montreal the other night."
When asked how MacDermid directly impacts the lineup, Green drove home the obvious point about toughness. At 6-foot-5, 233 pounds, the guy is a handful.
"People know who's tough in the league and who's not," Green said. "He's a great teammate, he's great in the locker room, and understands his role. And we've played some hard teams that are known for being tough as well."
That would include the Senators' season opener in Tampa Bay, where MacDermid lost the only bout he's been in so far. It was Kurtis on Curtis action, with rookie forward Curtis Douglas trying his hand against the veteran. Even for an established NHL heavyweight, the kid's reach at 6-foot-9 will make him tough for anyone to contend with. In his only other fight, Douglas held his own against Mathieu Oliver.
On Saturday night against the Canadiens, MacDermid played only 2:04 and took a costly penalty that led to a Montreal power play goal. Zach Bolduc had checked Jake Sanderson into the Canadiens' bench and then dropped and covered up when MacDermid arrived to take exception.
That's part of the challenge of employing a true NHL heavyweight: very few players are willing to add MacDermid to their dance card. Arber Xhekaj is one of those players, but when MacDermid openly challenged him on Saturday, Xhekaj declined.
I've been critical of MacDermid's ability to contribute outside of his toughness. When you think about it, every team that's ever rostered an enforcer had a more skilled player in the organization they could be using instead. But they sacrifice that to have a player who can serve and protect.
I will continue to maintain that there is a real benefit to having a true heavyweight in the lineup, whether it's MacDermid, Xhekaj, Douglas, Olivier or someone else. Having a guy on your bench who's capable of protecting teammates and mopping the ice with people – even if he never actually does that night – can not only improve opponents' behaviour, but it can also infuse confidence into your team.
And keep in mind, none of these tough guys are ever in the game at the expense of a highly valuable NHL player. No team runs so deep that their 12th forward is all that impactful.
Some people are bullish on the matter, strongly believing one-dimensional enforcers are a waste of a roster spot and a ridiculous, archaic concept.
But a lot of NHL head coaches, including Green, Martin St. Louis, and Jon Cooper, who's probably the best head coach in the game. still strongly believe in them. And they have a lot more knowledge, experience, and a lot more at stake than the Monday morning quarterbacks on social media.
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