OTTAWA – Over the past two seasons, Steve Staios, General Manager of the Ottawa Senators, has made strengthening the team`s right side defense a top priority. While future prospects like right-shot defensemen Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler have been drafted in the first round, the recent trade for Jordan Spence is a clear move to address current needs.
Spence, a 24-year-old defenseman, is expected to significantly enhance puck movement from the right side of the defensive corps. He is the kind of elite, analytics-friendly blueliner that is highly coveted throughout the NHL. According to Hockey Viz, the Los Angeles Kings performed notably better at five-on-five last season with Spence on the ice, boasting an expected goals rate of 2.59, a figure that dropped to 2.45 in his absence.
The value of right-shot defensemen in the NHL is undeniable, and the Senators have personally experienced the challenges of a thin lineup in this position. Left-shot Jakob Chychrun notably struggled when playing on his off-side behind Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, leading Staios to eventually trade Chychrun to the Capitals for the more defensively oriented Nick Jensen.
While Jensen provided a measure of stability to the right side last season, the Senators recognized that further improvements were necessary. Neither Travis Hamonic nor Nikolas Matinpalo – despite Matinpalo`s solid play on the third pairing earning him a two-year extension – were seen as long-term solutions for the top defensive roles on the right flank. The team, which relied on just six reliable defensemen last season, is now poised to deepen its defensive roster.
Jordan Spence joins his new team not only with considerable talent but also with strong personal motivation. His primary ambition is to establish himself as a top-four defenseman, a role he couldn`t consistently secure in Los Angeles. Furthermore, he enters the season as a restricted free agent, adding an additional incentive to perform at his best.
“I’m not really focused on [the contract] at all, whatsoever,” Spence stated during a recent Senators media event. “I think it just matters how I play this season.”
When asked about aiming for a top-four position, Spence elaborated:
“Obviously that’s always in the back of your head. Just to try to be better as a player and to gain the coach’s trust to play more ice time. But at the end of the day, it’s the effort and the individual work that you put in.”
Having recorded 28 points last season, Spence is expected to be a significant upgrade over previous options like Hamonic or Matinpalo in Ottawa`s top six defensemen. Last season, the Senators ranked 25th in goals scored by defensemen, with right-shot defenders contributing a mere seven combined goals. In contrast, Spence alone scored four goals for Los Angeles during the same period, a stark difference compared to the 20 combined goals from left-sided defensemen Sanderson and Chabot.
Boosting offensive production from the right side of the blue line is crucial for the Senators, whose overall five-on-five goal scoring ranked second-last in the NHL last season. Spence, an undersized five-foot-ten defender who isn`t notably physical, represents an archetype that has seen mixed results in Ottawa, ranging from the triumphs of Erik Karlsson to the struggles of Erik Brannstrom.
The exact return timeline for Nick Jensen, who underwent off-season hip surgery, remains uncertain. However, once he is healthy, Head Coach Travis Green will have a much broader range of options for defensive pairings.
Projected Defensive Pairings:
- Sanderson – Zub
- Chabot – Jensen
- Kleven – Spence
- Matinpalo – Yakemchuk
