Ottawa Senators Cannot Afford to Lose Mark Stone

It’s been a long and painful season in Ottawa…and we’re only halfway through. Following the Erik Karlsson trade, the 17-23-5 Senators own one of the worst records in the NHL. While their offense sits among the 10 best in the league, their porous defense ranks dead last and has charted a path to the bottom of the standings.

Even amid these struggles, there are a few bright spots to consider.

Young guns Thomas Chabot (38 points in 38 games) and Brady Tkachuk (21 points in 34 games) have cemented themselves as centerpieces of the team’s rebuild. Colin White (26 points in 44 games) has also performed well in his rookie campaign. On the health front, Jean-Gabriel Pageau just returned from a torn Achilles tendon and will offer the Sens a dose of three-zone hustle and smarts.

Above all else, though, Mark Stone (48 points in 45 games) has solidified his status as an elite two-way winger. He isn’t a true shutdown forward, but his unmatched ability to snatch any pucks within reach tilts the ice in Ottawa’s favor on a nightly basis. It’s no surprise, then, that his underlying numbers are stellar.

The Senators haven’t been unlucky (100.0 PDO) in 2018-19. They just aren’t particularly good, as they control just 43.9% of the shot attempts (31^st), 45.9% of the scoring chances (28^th) and 44.2% of the goals scored (29^th) at 5-on-5.

During Stone’s shifts, the entire complexion of the game changes. He’s posted a 52.5 CF%, 56.2 SCF% and 58.7 GF% so far, turning the tables on the opposition with his hockey sense, playmaking and work ethic. The team transitions from survival mode to resembling a competitive, playoff-caliber group when he’s out there.

With Matt Duchene (42 points in 37 games), Ryan Dzingel (32 points in 43 games), Bobby Ryan (27 points in 42 games), Tkachuk, White and Chabot in the mix, the Sens can score. However, the stark on-ice contrast that Stone delivers highlights his value. Among forwards with at least 500 even-strength minutes this season (i.e. forwards who are heavily relied upon), he ranks first in relative CF%, first in relative SCF% and fifth in relative GF%.

In other words, Stone plays great hockey on a club that largely doesn’t. This isn’t a new development either. His raw and team-relative stats have been strong for several years now.

Offensively, he’s deceptive and slick with the puck, often picking out passes that opponents aren’t ready for. He’s a solid finisher too, converting on chances both in tight and closer to the circles. He’s on pace for a second consecutive point-per-game campaign, and at age 26, his play seems to be peaking in his physical prime.

On the other end of the ice, Stone isn’t the type to shadow the other team’s stars. Whether he’s directly stripping opponents of the biscuit or intercepting passes with his active stick, he’s a complete thief who focuses on winning possession back as soon as possible rather than containing a particular individual.

All in all, he’s a high-event player — and the events frequently take place in the other team’s zone.

With that said, his performance isn’t the only reason for optimism. While he’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could surely command a hefty contract on the open market, he recently told reporters that he wants to stay put.

Stone’s comments don’t ring hollow. You actually get the sense that he would prefer to remain a Senator and help this franchise back to its feet. Moreover, he’s the obvious pick for the team’s next captain. He consistently leads by example and pays attention to the little details that amount, bit by bit, to victory. He makes the right decisions, he never shies away from the trenches and he’s always in dogged pursuit of the puck when he doesn’t have it.

Head coach Guy Boucher has partnered him with rookies Tkachuk and White for most of the season, and Stone is an ideal player to learn from because he doesn’t skate by on physical gifts or pure talent. He isn’t especially fast or likely to dangle through an entire team on his own. In any given situation, he reads the play correctly and puts in the work required to succeed.

He’s showing Tkachuk the ropes off the ice too by taking the first-year winger under his wing and into his home. This living arrangement appears to be mutually beneficial, with the freshman enjoying Stone’s mentorship and the veteran enjoying Tkachuk’s youthful enthusiasm.

Though Stone has never lacked any fire, he’s become a galvanizing presence in 2018-19. The Senators have been equal parts careless and lazy this season, but you could never accuse Stone of that. He approaches every shift like there’s a title up for grabs. There’s a hunger to his game that’s utterly infectious — if not for the rest of the team, then at least for the players who jump over the boards with him. Maybe he has a chip on his shoulder from being selected in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. Maybe he simply hates losing that much.

At any rate — well, not any rate — that’s precisely the sort of player you want to hold on to. For the sake of their organizational culture, the Senators can’t afford to low-ball Stone and risk turning him away. Shedding their “budget team” identity in this case would be worth every last penny.

Ottawa is clearly rebuilding. Its defense and goaltending (27^th in on-ice SV%) aren’t up to snuff, and shoring up those holes will take time. There are indeed more growing pains ahead.

But when the going gets tough, you see what your players are made of. With his squad floundering in the standings, Stone isn’t sulking or mailing it in until he reaches free agency. He’s scratching, clawing and battling the adversity head on even if his efforts may not mean anything in the end.

That level of dedication calls for a commitment in kind.