Granted, it's just two games into the season, but effectively replacing Filip Kuba with Marc Methot as Erik Karlsson's blue line partner is already looking to be a significant upgrade for the Senators.
Methot, a better skater than Kuba, leads the Senators with nine hits, whereas Kuba rarely used his big body for such purposes. Methot has Ottawa's best plus-minus mark, at plus-4, and seems to quickly be developing a chemistry with Karlsson, who won the Norris Trophy last season with an excess amount of credit going to Kuba.
Also able to make a good first pass and play smart defensively, Methot has three years left on a contract that has a cap hit of $3 million each year. Kuba signed a two-season deal with the Panthers in the offseason for $4 million per year.
The fact that Methot was born and raised in Ottawa is an added bonus.
