A Long Time Coming – Matt Carkner

When Matt Carkner checked into his Ottawa hotel in September, he didn’t think it would be a long stay. Well he can finally check out and find a real house after inking a two year deal worth 1.4 million dollars on Tuesday. More importantly for Carkner, the contract is one way meaning for the first time since he was drafted, he will collect an NHL salary no matter what.

After spending a combined 8 years in the AHL, Carkner can now truly call himself an NHL player.

The Winchester, Ontario native opened many eyes in Ottawa during training camp with his hard work and intensity in the preseason. He was rewarded with a chance to make an impression during the regular season, and so far the reviews have been good. He has arguably been one of the better defenseman early in this young season, and has spent some time playing forward, on occasion.

He has been playing so well, that GM Bryan Murray was a little handcuffed and in turn had to trade Christoph Schubert, a long time Senator who had been with the club since the lockout.

What Carkner adds to the team is the element of toughness they have dearly needed since the departure of Brian McGrattan. By having another player who is willing to drop the gloves on any night, the pressure on Chris Neil decreases exponentially. Knowing now that he doesn’t have to deal with every issue on the ice, Neil can now focus more on his own game and hopefully get back to being the 15-20 goal scorer the Senators think he can be.

While he may not be on everyone’s early list for the Bill Masterton Trophy, Carkner’s story is an inspirational one, which shows that hard work and dedication do pay off.

Having Carkner should help relieve the pressure on Chris Neil. (Photo by JD5ive)

Many players just accept the fact that they will be a minor league player for their entire career but not Carkner. He worked hard over the summer and came into training camp in great shape, not just physically but mentally.

Having a guy like this around an organization known mainly for its lack of hard work is a good thing, and Carkner’s play seems to have rubbed off on some of his teammates. The team is blocking more shots, winning battles along the boards and seems to have a greater sense of urgency when getting to the puck.

The deal does seem risky seeing as he has never played through a gruelling 82 game NHL season before, but the price was right for Bryan Murray and Carkner’s strong play of late made it an easy decision.

Only time will tell whether this deal was a good decision or not, but for the time being Matt Carkner is happy to be a Senator, and the organization is glad that he will be with them for the next two years.

For The Hockey Writers.com, I’m Kyle Dunn.

Posted by The Hockey Writers on Oct 22 2009. Filed under Eastern Conference, Featured Articles, Northeast, Ottawa Senators. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.