Nikolas Matinpalo or Travis Hamonic

Just a couple months ago, Nikolas Matinpalo was a complete afterthought in the world of the Ottawa Senators. Well, maybe not a complete afterthought; I’m sure the fanbase was appreciative of him helping the Belleville Senators down in the AHL. That was about it, though. Flashforward to today, and a large portion of the fanbase wants him to be a regular in the Ottawa Senators lineup. He has played 19 games with Ottawa this season, and he’s fresh off a solid showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Finland. For some, the answer is simple- Matinpalo should be in the lineup and Travis Hamonic should be out. In reality, it’s not that simple. Let’s dive into the details on the Matinpalo versus Hamonic debate.

READ MORE: What to Do With Claude Giroux LINK

In Defense of Hamonic

The narrative around Hamonic has been negative from the start. Fans were frustrated that the Senators traded for him at all, especially with Pierre Dorion giving up a third round pick during the rebuild for a player that was seen as an older, struggling d-man. He was then seen as a frustration when DJ Smith made him Jake Sanderson’s partner during Sanderson’s rookie season. The frustrations continued when Pierre Dorion decided to give Hamonic a two-year contract when many fans didn’t want him back at all. It continued this season when Travis Green decided to put Hamonic with Sanderson when Artem Zub was out with an injury.

None of these are really the fault of Hamonic. It’s also put him in a spot where he’s clearly been asked to do too much. So much of the Hamonic pessimism has come when Hamonic has been inserted into the top four. In the Matinpalo versus Hamonic debate, it’s important to remember that they are competing to be the number six defenseman for the Ottawa Senators. Here’s what that likely entails: 11-15 minutes of ice-time, little to no special teams minutes, playing mainly with Tyler Kleven. Due to injuries, Hamonic has been asked to play 15+ minutes in 36 of his 45 games. That includes 10 games where he’s been over 20 minutes. Matinpalo, meanwhile, has gone over 15 minutes just once in his 18 games.

Statistical Comparison

Here are Tyler Kleven’s numbers with the two d-men at even strength, according to Dobber Sports:

• With Hamonic: 157 minutes, 2 goals for, 8 goals against, 50 shots for, 77 shots against
• With Matinpalo: 165 minutes, 4 goals for, 6 goals against, 62 shots for, 76 shots against

This is the best reason for going with Matinpalo, as these stats fall in his favour. He offers more in the way of puck moving, so these stats make sense. Another advantage to Matinpalo’s game is his skating; he’s clearly a cut above Hamonic in regards to his speed. Let’s face it, Matinpalo being a 26 year old whose only 23 games  into his NHL career has some appeal as well from an upside perspective. To play devil’s advocate for Hamonic, his time with Kleven has been much more scattered, whereas Matinpalo was able to play regularly with Kleven for the month of January. But again, in this sense, advantage Matinpalo.

Here are a few other numbers to consider:

• Hamonic: 3.9 hits, 5.6 blocked shots per 60 minutes
• Matinpalo: 2.4 hits, 2.9 blocked shots per 60 minutes

This is where Travis Green would prefer Hamonic. If these two are competing for 12 or so minutes per night, the more physical player on that bottom pair will often get the nod. There’s not much to compare in the way of offense. Hamonic has three assists in 46 games while Matinpalo has been held scoreless in his 19 games, with eight points in 24 AHL games.

The Bottom Line

Matinpalo has been a nice depth piece as the Senators battled through injuries. He became a nice depth piece for Finland as they battled through injuries as well. The idea that playing at that tournament should vault Matinpalo ahead of Hamonic is silly, though. The reality is that Hamonic would’ve been selected for Team Finland as well if he Finnish citizenship. That’s how banged up they were.

As the veteran, Hamonic has been given the first opportunity. That’s fairly normal in the NHL. It’s important not to judge him too negatively for the coaches’ decisions to play him in the top four this season. As for my opinion, here it goes. Hamonic is not such a valuable piece that he should be exempt from being a healthy scratch from time to time. Neither guy offers much offense. If the Senators want more in the way of physicality, Hamonic should play. If they want more in the way of speed and a puck moving ability, Matinpalo should play.