Ottawa Senators captain Erik Karlsson isn’t worried about teammates Mika Zibanejad or Jared Cowen and their rough start to the 2014-15 campaign.
Karlsson says his teammates are just going through a rough stretch at the moment.
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Despite centering the second line between Bobby Ryan and Alex Chiasson, Zibanejad has gone pointless in the first five games of the season.
“He’s been here for a while and he’s just trying to find his way and find his role on the team,” Karlsson told Hockey Central at Noon on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Tuesday. “He knows he needs to step it up, but at the same time he’s still trying to find out what he needs to do to be successful out there and, you know, it’s going to take him a while.”
Last season, Zibanejad, the sixth-overall pick from the 2011 draft, set career highs in games played, goals, assists and ice-time, but hasn’t found a rhythm with his new linemates.
“He’s still young and he’s incredibly talented, so I think give him some time and he’ll figure out what he needs to do out there to be even better,” Karlsson said.
While Zibanejad has struggled to produce, Cowen has struggled to get into the lineup. The ninth-overall pick from the 2009 draft has fallen below Patrick Wiercioch and Mark Borowiecki on the team’s depth chart and has only seen action in two games so far this season.
“As of right now we have eight defencemen that can play in this league. It’s tough,” Karlsson said of his fellow blueliner. “Sometimes you just got to figure out your own way and what you need to do to be successful and he’s one of those guys too that needs some time to figure that out. If we give him that [time] I’m pretty sure he’s going to sort it out eventually.”
Even though Zibanejad and Cowen—two of the top young players in Ottawa’s system at age 21 and 23, respectively—have struggled, the team has exceeded expectations and is off to an outstanding 4-1 start. Karlsson pointed to an increased attention to detail and playing a more simple brand of hockey as two reasons why they’ve gotten off to a hot start.
The Senators will look to extend their winning streak to five games when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs Wednesday on Sportsnet One.
