Senators for Sale: Chris Campoli

by Geoff Cheek on Feb 5, 2011 10:19 AM EST in Analysis

Chris Campoli

#14 / Defenseman / Ottawa Senators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Jul 09, 1984

Contract status
RFA after this season (signed to a one-year, $1.4M deal this year).

Pros
Young, mobile, and good vision, Chris Campoli is your standard second pairing puck mover on the blue line. He has decent positioning and isn't out of place on a second powerplay unit. He is a decent skater and has very good vision inside the opponent's blue line, knowing when to pinch low and when to pull back. The most important asset that Campoli has is his age--at 25 years old, he has most of his career ahead of him and has shown signs that he is a legitimate 30-35 point defenceman.

Cons
Campoli always seems to leave us wanting more. Whether that is because he hasn't reached his potential or because he's already peaked, he is one of those players that should have 10 goals already this season but instead just scored his second. The problem is that he isn't good enough to be a top pairing defenceman, but he IS good enough to earn over $2M or $3M on future contracts as a 3-4 defenceman. How that fits in with the Sens going forward remains to be seen. We've seen players like Andrej Meszaros and Filip Kuba get into those $3M-ish contracts and bust, so is it worth the risk keeping Campoli around for a guy that looks like he could plateau?

Trade value
Moderate, although it's ery hard to say what he is worth at the deadline because he isn't a typical deadline-type player. He isn't a UFA next year and he doesn't have a long resume of playoff experience. If Campoli is dealt, the team that acquires him will likely plan on keeping him going forward after he becomes an RFA after the season. At this point, it is hard to see a team giving up too much for him and certainly not as much as the late first-round pick that we gave up to get him from the Islanders (assuming Dean McAmmond for Mike Comrie was a wash in that deal). Safe to say he could get us a forward prospect that is a few years away from the NHL and a mid-round pick, simply because nobody will give up too much value off their roster at the deadline for a guy that won't have a significant impact in a playoff run.

Trade Likelihood
Marginal. As I said above, he isn't the wily old veteran player that contenders typically acquire at the deadline. He also isn't a guy that you build a defence around going forward. If he is traded, it could be to a team that ditches a salary and needs a stopgap on the blue line for a few years. Perhaps we can just look at the career movement of a Marc-Andre Bergeron to forecast Campy's future...

Realistic Return
As a team going into a rebuild, we aren't going to get anything for him that will have an immediate impact on our team. The only way that could happen is if he's packaged with another player to add value, say like a Chris Phillips + Campoli deal, or a Mike Fisher + Campoli deal. In that case, we're looking at some nice players coming back. Otherwise, mid-level pick and a prospect is all. If we were to look at specific teams, Campoli could be a nice addition to a long list of middle of the pack teams in the Western Conference that need scoring depth on the blue line. Only five points separate 4th place and 12th place, so you have to believe there will be a few depth moves to solidify playoff positions of those teams caught in the race.

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Comments

I like Campoli, and would like to keep him around to solidify the second defensive pairing. Given that Kuba is off the books next year, and the likelihood of him being resigned is the same as me being given a contract with the Senators, our future could be pretty good. You don’t want a whole d-corps of rookies, and he’s be experienced enough without being expensive. He’s cheap, decently reliable and doesn’t carry a ridiculous cap hit so could also be used to upgrade a trade (as said above). It’ll also buy us time to get our defensive prospects time to develop rather than rush them.

by The Tif on Feb 5, 2011 10:42 AM EST reply actions

Keep Campoli

We invested a first-round pick in him, he’s shown flashes of excellence, and has been willing to step up for his team physically. That puts him above Kuba even without regarding his defensive play.

Imo, the optimal situation for our blue line next year involves Kuba and Phillips being gone, one of either Rundblad or Cowen making the team, and something along the lines of this being the lineup:

Karlsson – Gonchar
Campoli – Cowen/Rundblad
Carkner – Lee

Not great. Not even good. But moving forward, at least. Phillips and Kuba do not have futures with this organization (Gonchar does, because of his contract), and that’s where Ottawa should be looking.

by TheGuineaPig on Feb 5, 2011 11:12 AM EST reply actions

I’d like to see Lee get a constant spot on the roster. Sure, he might suck, but he’s just a $875k cap hit otherwise. And besides, what’s the worst that could happen? He has been decent when he has played, and I’d rather have him up at 875k than Kuba.

by The Tif on Feb 5, 2011 11:29 AM EST up reply actions

Remember

The point of these articles is not so much whether the players should be traded, but a look at what guys might be traded and what the team might get in return for them.

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Feb 5, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

Dean McAmmond and a first round pick?

Mariners, Senators, Trail Blazers, Seahawks fan that also covers the Ottawa Senators prospects for Silver Seven. All from Sunrise, FL. And I do for you guys! Silver Seven

by Alexander Calloway on Feb 5, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

If we can get value for him, I'm fine seeing him dealt

Campoli is far from untouchable, and far from irreplaceable. If he’s a 3-4 defenceman in Ottawa it’s likely because of circumstance more than merit, and low-level defencemen can easily be found on the free agent market (see recent acquisitions of Carkner, Hale, and Benoit, any of whom could serve well on Ottawa’s blue line).

I just don’t see the incredible value in Campoli that would justify refusing even the most modest of returns in exchange for him. It would be ugly to see Murray trade him for a fourth-rounder after dealing a first to get him, but sometimes you just get what you can.

An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 5, 2011 11:35 AM EST reply actions

But Campoli isn't a veteran, or playing that poorly

Why trade him unless you get fair value or better? He’s 25, he’s an RFA, he’s still got some potential. There’s no reason for a rebuilding team to trade an asset like him. He’s the sort of players Ottawa should be pursuing.

And I think you’re being awfully kind to Hale (or harsh to Campoli) to equate the two.

by TheGuineaPig on Feb 5, 2011 11:50 AM EST up reply actions

You're nuts

There’s no reason to trade Campoli. He’s been one of the best players on the team during this abysmal season, and certainly the best all-around defenseman (solid in both ends).

I’m writing an article about this.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Feb 6, 2011 5:26 PM EST up reply actions

I just don't see the long-term value

Sure, he’s been solid this year, but just a piece of quartz looks amazing mixed in with some everyday stones. That doesn’t make it gold. I’m not denying that Campoli’s been fine this year, and I wouldn’t be disappointed if they kept him around (as I was when, for instance, they neglected to trade Kuba two years ago), but I see him as totally replaceable.

It’s looking more and more like his rookie season was an exceptional one, not one that should be expected regularly. He’s still young and may find his way back, but he seems to be settling into a low-pairing, solid-but-unspectacular defender.

An Ottawa Senators fan blogging at www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Feb 6, 2011 10:19 PM EST up reply actions

I'm all for devil's advocacy

True he’s unspectacular and not an untouchable, but really is a trade worth making for him?

Say he’s a #5 (+/-1) defenseman, would we be able to pickup another in the offseason that would fit in better than Campoli? He’s familiar with Ottawa’s “system” (wait, maybe that’s a bad thing…) and so far is inexpensive for guys in that slot (other teams probably range between league minimum to $2M).

My thought is you talk to him about what it’ll take to re-sign him (he’s a RFA, so I guess a qualifying offer would be 10% above current = $1.64M) and if he’s way above Murray’s budget in that slot, you shop him.

If another team pursues him aggresively at the deadline, I’d think Ottawa would want better value (given Ottawa’s situation) which in my mind maps to a #5/#6 defenseman ready to play regular minutes next year where there’s an overall improvement in the defensive makeup of the Sens blueline. For example, someone to match with Carkner for solid defensive pairing (maybe more size), with roughly same or less salary than Campoli.

That’s the minimum to move him, otherwise Sens are better off keeping him. If someone offered a solid defensive guy who could pair up with Karlsson or Gonchar and provide good support when those guys jump into the offense, that’d be a homerun, even if taking on more salary.

by Joebo on Feb 7, 2011 4:20 PM EST up reply actions

I'm for keeping Campoli

Given his awful season statistically, he’s a guy that can be re-signed on the cheap.

Why not give him two years at less than 2M and let him take the pressure off the young dmen we have coming into the fold next year?

by Geoff Cheek on Feb 5, 2011 12:05 PM EST reply actions

He's been the third best defensemen for Ottawa this season

Mariners, Senators, Trail Blazers, Seahawks fan that also covers the Ottawa Senators prospects for Silver Seven. All from Sunrise, FL. And I do for you guys! Silver Seven

by Alexander Calloway on Feb 5, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

Who do you have ranked higher than him?

I think he’s been very solid all year and wouldn’t be surprised in those aforementioned Western conference teams sniffing around. He’s cheap, relatively physical and a solid puck mover. Also his # number of defensive gaffes have been declining all year.

by Mpowers on Feb 5, 2011 8:51 PM EST up reply actions

He's been the best all-around defenseman

Campoli is third on D in points, but is miles above Karlsson and Gonchar defensively.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Feb 6, 2011 5:21 PM EST up reply actions

He was on my keep list in an earlier post

Cheap and getting better on a rebuilding team. Defenseman take longer to develop, it would be silly to trade before he reaches his potential. His numbers mean he will remain cheap for the foreseeable future unless they sign him to a one year and all of a sudden he explodes and becomes very expensive. Three year deal is what the Sens should be looking for, by then we should know what’s in the cupboard and who is ready to step in.

by Hockey Playoff Run SensFan on Feb 6, 2011 6:25 PM EST reply actions

Lean towards keeping Campoli

I’d trade Campoli if a good deal was on offer, but unlike Kuba he still has something to offer Ottawa in the future. I’d give Kuba away for anything that another team was willing to offer. For Campoli, I would hold out for at least a decent draft pick(maybe 2nd or 3rd round) or a reasonable prospect.

by DW19 on Feb 8, 2011 8:33 AM EST reply actions

Keep Campoli he has been the most consistent D-man

Chris Campoli has been very consistent the whole season long and he can put up points when he needs to, like the past 6 games. Campoli is cheap for his style and type of play, at 1.4M. I think you guys are forgetting that he was drafted 227 overall in the 7th round, so he shouldn’t even be playing nearly as good as he is now. He plays a responsible 2-way game and he rarely turns the puck over, except for that one game against boston.

by NHLER13 on Feb 14, 2011 3:51 PM EST reply actions