Leclaire’s not alone as a player who has to step up his play following the Olympic break. Despite having the third best quality of teammates rating on the Senators, Shannon’s offensive production hasn’t exactly warranted the kind of linemates that he has played with. Interestingly, the quality of competition that Shannon has played against isn’t as highly regarded as some of the Senators other top six forwards. In other words, he’s not producing while not playing against inferior opposition lines and defencemen.(Ed. note: Using the points per 60 minutes threshold is almost like examining a baseball pitcher’s ERA.)
For me, the signing signifies one of three things now that he is under team control for another year:
- Bryan Murray fully expects Shannon’s production to rebound to a level that he demonstrated in the second half of the 2008-09 season.
- Shannon’s trade value jumps exponentially and makes him a bigger commodity on the trade market. I wonder if a sign and trade possibility exists.
- It could signify that another roster forward could now be moved to bring in a defenceman.
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