D to D, Methot passed a great compliment over to Parekh, describing the young defenceman as "insanely talented and ultra-confident."
The Ottawa Senators will select seventh overall in next month's NHL Draft, and one of the top players likely to be available to them will be Saginaw Spirit defenceman Zayne Parekh. The OHL Defenceman of the Year posted remarkable offensive numbers this season, with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games.
Now with five points in four games, Parekh leads the host Spirit into the Memorial Cup Final against the London Knights on Sunday, one day after being named the CHL defenceman of the year.
Former Ottawa Senator Marc Methot will probably be cheering for the Knights, his old junior team. However, that didn't stop the recently inducted Knights' Hall of Famer from praising Parekh on social media.
As generous as Methot was with his praise, his caveat at the end provides some pause for thought. The TSN analyst said Parekh will "need to work on some of the defensive stuff."
Methot's cautionary note about Parekh's defensive game might raise concerns for some Ottawa Senators fans. If you're having trouble on defence now against junior-level talent, you're obviously going to have to improve your defensive play just to make the NHL, let alone live up to the lofty expectations of a seventh-overall draft pick.
While Parekh's offensive skill may well be too good to pass up, there are some other blue line options in the draft don't have quite as much to work to do on "the defensive stuff," and who wouldn't be considered a reach at seven.
Interestingly, the Ottawa Senators' current roster needs a player like Marc Methot from 20 years ago – a robust, right-handed defenceman who can hold the fort while Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot focus on their offensive contributions. However, the draft doesn't offer a player who can fill that role, at least not anytime soon.