Two weeks ago, on March 6th, Ottawa Senators winger Fabian Zetterlund was a member of the San Jose Sharks, preparing for a game against the Colorado Avalanche. That night, Zetterlund played almost 19 minutes, took seven shots on goal, and scored his 17th goal of the season.
On Thursday night, Zetterlund is preparing for another game against the Avalanche, only now he’s preparing as a fourth-line player. So far, the 25-year-old is averaging 9:43 of ice time with zero goals, zero points, and four shots on goal in his first five games with the Senators.
The deadline-day deal for Zetterlund and a fourth-round pick seemed at the time like an absolute steal. He was San Jose’s leading goal scorer last year with 24 goals and only cost the Senators Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and a second-round draft pick. That felt inexpensive, especially when viewed through the lens of a scoring upgrade for the top nine, maybe even the top six.
But Senators head coach Travis Green hasn’t yet viewed it that way. Green has had Zetterlund on the fourth line for each of his first five games in Ottawa.
His usage initially raised eyebrows in some circles, but since the Senators were in the middle of a winning streak, the assumption was that Zetterlund would eventually get his chance when the team cooled off. The Senators did cool off in Montreal on Tuesday night, losing 6-3 to the Canadiens and ending their six-game winning streak.
But at practice on Thursday morning, there was Zetterlund again, skating on the fourth line.
Green’s intent isn’t to bury Zetterlund, nor is it a reflection of his play. And he’s trying to keep the lines of communication open with the player.
“You know, I’ve had good conversations with him,” Green told the media after Thursday’s game-day skate. “Probably three times, I’ve just talked to him. The coaches have done a good job showing video. He’s learning a lot on the fly, system-wise, different players. He’s a younger player who hasn’t played a whole lot in the league. And also, being patient—it’s not always easy.
“I think if we, as coaches, can have open dialogue with a player, it’d be different if we were saying, ‘Hey, we don’t like your play. You know, this is where you’re slotted,’ but that’s not the case.”
That said, despite an uninspiring effort in Montreal on Tuesday, Green doesn’t want to start tinkering with his lineup yet.
“Our team’s been playing well, and (Zetterlund) is going to have to wait for more ice time. I’d like to get him some more ice time here and there. But that’s the reality. We’re also here to win every night. And it’s a fine line, making those decisions on who goes on the ice and who doesn’t.”
Interestingly, Green’s strategy wasn’t also applied to fellow newcomer Dylan Cozens, who arrived in Ottawa with fewer goals and points than Zetterlund. Cozens got here ice cold, with one point in his previous five games, all losses with the Sabres. His coach, Lindy Ruff, said the kid “just couldn’t find his game.”
What he found here was the second-line centre role and a boatload of power play time. As a result, Cozens has five points in six games as a Senator and now stands tied with Zetterlund at 36 points.
In a parallel universe, Green could have made Cozens his fourth-liner for his first five games to ease him in and not mess with a winning formula, just as he has with Zetterlund. When Cozens arrived, the Sens had just pulled five out of a possible six points out of their previous three games. Centre Shane Pinto had three goals in those three games and could have easily moved up until further notice.
We know now that it’s good that Green didn’t choose that route. So why is he choosing it with Zetterlund? Zetterlund isn’t here to be a fourth-liner, nor is he particularly well-suited for the role.
And while having plug-and-play scoring depth in the event of a slump or injury is a nice notion in theory, the Sens are playing with fire in assuming Zetterlund will be unfazed by any of this. They’re trusting that he can flick the switch on command when they finally move him up and give him a chance.
That’s a lot easier said than done, but hopefully, for the Sens’ sake, he can.
Because the longer the player goes without providing secondary scoring, the more people will start to wonder why they bothered to make this trade.
By Steve Warne
Site Editor at The Hockey News Ottawa
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