Just consider his underlying numbers on a Senators outfit that ranks below league average at five-a-side – and in some cases well below league average – when compared to the rest of the NHL. His Corsi percentage is 52.4 percent, shots percentage is 52.9 percent and he possesses a 55.8 expected goals percentage, which is in part the result of 54.9 and 57.7 percent scoring chance and high-danger chance percentages, respectively. What makes the numbers stand out most, though, is that DeMelo posted those numbers despite starting more than 55 percent of his shifts in the defensive zone. This is to say nothing, either, of the fact DeMelo had the highest relative rates of shot, shot attempt, scoring chance and expected goal suppression among all Senators with at least 500 minutes played.Personally, I like DeMelo. He's a #2 defenseman on the Sens at 26 years old, so he can improve a bit, but the Sens are objectively one of the worst teams in the NHL, so on a contender, he's probably a #4-5 guy who plays 17 to 19 minutes per game. That's probably worth $3M to $3.5M per year, and as a free agent in the middle of his prime come July 1st, he's probably going to be looking at one or two teams offering him a salary around $5M, which he will have trouble living up to.
Other teams will look at him as the San Jose Sharks' sixth-round pick in 2011, as one of seven pieces the Sens got back from the Sharks for Erik Karlsson, and someone who earned under $1M this season.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I hope he helps the Jets make the playoffs; on paper, he's exactly what they need to solidify their second pairing after the departures of Jacob Trouba, Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers on the right side last summer.
Here he is wearing the Sens' red (home) uniform, on card #474 from Upper Deck's 2019-20 O-Pee-Chee collection:
He signed it in blue sharpie during training camp, tagging his jersey number (2) at the end.
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