I haven’t caught too many Blue Jackets games the last few seasons so it’s kind of difficult for me to give an informed take on Marc Methot. Outside of his appearances for Team Canada at the World Championships I’m not sure I have any memories of him as a player. So I turned to Matt Wagner (@bzarcher) who writes at the excellent Jackets blog The Cannon to answer a few questions fans in Ottawa may have.
1. What does he do well?
Meth is a good guy in the room and very personable when dealing with the community off the ice. On ice, he’s a great stay at home d-man who knows how to use his body with great on ice vision. I think he’s a bit underrated as a pure defender.
2. What does he do poorly?
He’s not a good offensive player. At times he almost seems afraid to pinch in or join the rush beause he doesn’t want to get caught. His shot is powerful when he does use it, but his accuracy isn’t good.
3. What part of his game has improved the most during his time in Columbus?
I’d say his penalty killing ability and his mental game. Early on, he took some bad penalties now and then, and he had some major issues with patience (he came to the attention of a lot of fans as a prospect when he went into training camp one year and said he wanted to make the team or get traded before opening day.) He thinks more before he speaks now, and that applies to how he handles his in game responsibilities as well.
4. Noticed that his possession numbers fell this past season, can this be chalked up to injury?
Yeah, I’d say so. His injuries were a major factor this year, and most of them were of the 100% bad luck variety.
5. Did Nikitin’s strong play make a trade like this inevitable?
Nikitin was part of it, but also the drafting of Ryan Murray, who is likely to take a similar role as he develops, especially since it’s been expected that he will make the NHL squad this year.
6. Bryan Murray has at least hinted that Methot will play on the top-pairing with Karlsson, is this a workload you think he can handle?
I think it’s possible. I believe he will flourish with a more offensively minded partner, and I can see Meth filling in nicely in the role Kuba had played with Karlsson over the last few seasons.
Latendresse Scouting Report
The Mckeen’s Hockey Annual is a great resource, and it’s perfect for occasions like this when your team trades for a player you’re not exactly familiar with. Here’s their take on Guillaume and his 2010-11 season in Minnesota.
Reported to camp out of shape was was forced to the sidelines after eight games for abdonimal and hip surgery in November, including multiple surgical procedures .. returned in March after a 58-game absence only to re-aggravate the injuries .. a smooth, versatile giant with an understated skillset .. good playmaker – boasts a hard, probing shot as well as some slick puckhandling abilities .. nimble for his size and possessing deceiving lateral agility, yet misses an explosive first-step burst as well as elite quickness .. effective when using his superior size and strength to lay out big hits and drive for the net .. still an erratic physical presence who doesn’t always bring the required belligerance or intensity .. oscillates between the extremes sometimes on the same shift .. provided a needed big-body presence in the top six here – created possession down low and making hard plays in the crease .. struggles to sustain his confidence when the goals dry up however .. earned a new two-year deal after leading the Wild in goals in 09-10.
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