The Ottawa Senators head into this season with lots of uncertainty. Trade speculation of their captain is among the biggest. However, there also lots of options for the Ottawa Senators roster this year. With lots of potential rookies knocking on the door, this may be one of the most exciting training camps yet. One person who we could see gain a big role this year is Christian Wolanin.

The Senators opening night lineup has a lot of questions that still need answers. While Christian Wolanin may not make that opening night, there certainly is a chance he could see a top-four role this year.

Christian Wolanin Has Potential To Grab Key Spot

Senators Defense

The Senators defensive core is made up of one main piece. That piece is obviously Erik Karlsson. Karlsson is one of the best players in the game and can influence games all by himself. After that, the Sens often have a bit of trouble backing him up with really good talent. Thomas Chabot had a very good rookie season and should look to grow more this year, but they need more than just a second-year kid.

Cody Ceci has taken the big minutes in Ottawa over his career. He has not done a good job by any means, but the Sens have struggled to find another player to do this. For that reason, most consider Ceci number two on this D-core. With Chabot following that, there is no obvious number four on this team. The Sens have Mark Borowiecki, who improved a ton last year but is still a bottom pair guy. They also have Chris Wideman who shows some potential of being capable of a bigger role but doesn’t seem to have the faith of management.

They then have players like Ben Harpur and Christian Jaros who may not even make the big squad. Add the lack of talent with the strong possibility that Karlsson doesn’t end this season as a Senator, and there is real potential for someone to step up.

Christian Wolanin Results

Enter, Christian Wolanin. Wolanin is a 23-year-old defenceman who played three seasons at the University of North Dakota. He had 35 points in 40 games with North Dakota. A stat line that looks very good for a defenceman in college. He joined the Sens last season after his University year wrapped up and played 10 games with the Sens. He put up a goal and two assists for three points. While even that is not bad for a rookie defenseman in the NHL, his advanced numbers were even better.

Now, 10 games is a small sample size so there’s definitely a chance he doesn’t perform that well this season. However, for a team like the Sens with no clear better options, it really can’t hurt to try him in a top-four role. So, let’s look at what suggests he could excel with bigger minutes.

Starting with Points Per 60(P/60), Christian Wolanin ranked third among Sens defense with 1.38P/60. He ranked only behind Karlsson and Wideman. Keeping sample size in mind, this is still a very encouraging number. It means at 5v5 Wolanin was producing more than most Sens defensemen and is capable in the offensive end.

This we already knew, however, looking at his overall game we can look at CF%(Corsi For) and xGF%(Expected Goals). He had a CF% of 53.63%. This ranks first for all Sens defencemen. He also ranked first in xGF% with 56.08%. Now, these numbers would certainly come down in a full season, however, it does show that he may be capable to take on a bigger role next season.

Shot Location

So we know he is talented offensively, but part of the criticism of things like Corsi is that it still could mean players are bad in their own end. What shows that Wolanin may be able to take a bit more in terms of matchups? Well, we switch to Hockeyviz’s excellent visuals and look at shot locations against the Sens when Wolanin is on/off the ice.

As you can see in the first picture, Wolanin’s left side is very blue right in front of the net. This means that he did a very good job in the 10 games at keeping shots away from right out front. The slot is red on his side, which certainly means that he can improve there. However, the slot also relies on forwards to help out there as well.

When we compare it to when Wolanin is off the ice, we see a lot more red right in front of the left side of the net. That visual tells us the Sens did a brutal job overall last year at keeping shots away from the front of the net. From Wolanin’s short stint it shows there is certainly a possibility that he could be an improvement on what Ottawa was throwing out last season to defend.

He will obviously need to prove it again this season, but given the results we have, it is safe to say he could be a good bet to step up this year and take some ice time.

Lineup Slot – With Karlsson

So where would Wolanin slot in? Well, let’s look at if Karlsson stays first. This definitely seems like the less possible option at this point. However, it would be no surprise if Karlsson starts the year with the team. For that time, and if he stays further, Christian Wolanin may find himself to be Karlsson’s defensive partner. This seems like a big step and may not happen on opening night, however, since the exit of Mark Methot, the Sens haven’t found the right fit with Karlsson.

They tried Johnny Oduya, Fredrik Claesson, and Dion Phaneuf. All just didn’t seem to work out. Throughout Karlsson’s career, he’s never really had a partner that could truly move the puck with him and give him an aid for breakouts. Wolanin could do just that. While time would tell if Wolanin could play against top competition, he certainly has the ability to help Karlsson and add another option to move or pass the puck out. Helping at the offensive side of the end and making teams think about his partner in all areas of the ice could be a dangerous situation to defend against.

Lineup Slot – Without Karlsson

If Karlsson is to be traded, Christian Wolanin could see a spot on the second pair open for the taking. This is very possible even if Karlsson stays as well, because Chabot may make the jump to the first pair. However, splitting up Chabot and Karlsson for maximum talent on two lines wouldn’t be the worst idea ever.

If there is no Karlsson, you can almost be certain Chabot would slide up the lineup, likely with Ceci by his side. That would leave a huge hole on the second pairing. A place Wolanin could step up and try to fill. With his results, he could be the Sens best candidate to try and take a top-four role. If Karlsson is traded it’s very likely this team will be bad and giving ice time to a younger guy who can develop from it would be the perfect fit.

All in all, Christian Wolanin’s small sample size was very promising last year. In a year where some Sens fans may not have a ton to look forward to, Wolanin is someone to keep your eye on.

Data from HockeyDB, Corsica, and HockeyViz.

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