It has been a tough task for Ottawa Senators fans to see the silver lining this season, but Don Cherry thinks there should be some optimism around Dylan DeMelo.
The defenceman was acquired by the Sens in September as part of the deal that sent Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks and he has impressed in his first season on his new team.
The 25-year-old London, Ont., native is enjoying the best year of his young NHL career with three goals, 12 assists and 18:50 of ice-time per night through 66 games.
Cherry is particularly impressed with the fact DeMelo had a plus-6 rating heading into Saturday’s home contest against the Maple Leafs despite most of his teammates being firmly in the minus column.
“It’s incredible that a guy can be a plus and still be on that club,” Cherry said Saturday during the Coach’s Corner segment of Hockey Night in Canada.
DeMelo was a sixth-round pick of the Sharks back in 2011 and appears to be someone the Sens can pencil into their top six next season. He has one more year and $900,000 remaining on his contract before he’ll become an unrestricted free agent in July 2020.
[relatedlinks]
