Weekly Question: When Should Colin White get Recalled?

Now that he is fully healthy, when should the Senators decide to call up the 2015 first round pick?

When Colin White broke his wrist on September 18th in the pre-season, many of us were disappointed because it looked like he had the inside track to start the season in Ottawa due to other injuries. It’s been exactly two months since that injury, and he has played in eight AHL games in Belleville.

I didn’t expect White to play with the big club right away, although he’s had enough time in the AHL that it’s fair to call him fully healthy. With that in mind, I wanted to know what the fans thought about him potentially getting called up.

It’s obvious that Ottawa’s forward depth up front isn’t great right now, and the biggest piece of evidence is the fact that Chris Wideman has seen some time as their fourth line right winger. After Logan Brown and Alex Formenton were sent back to junior, the depth forwards looked rather thin.

Of course, it doesn’t help when Bobby Ryan, Zack Smith are hurt and Clarke MacArthur is on the verge of retirement, but even with Ryan and Smith healthy the lines aren’t exactly amazing.

Ottawa has called up players like Jack Rodewald, Max McCormick, Nick Paul, and Filip Chlapik, but none of them seem like solutions for this season. In the future, guys like Chlapik, Brown, and Formenton could be regulars, but it’s clear that the Senators don’t want to give any of these players regular minutes.

That’s where White can hopefully come in.

I don’t expect him to be amazing when (or if?) he comes to Ottawa, but he’s 20 years old now and I think he can be a solid addition in a 3rd or 4th line defensive role. Whether or not Guy Boucher will trust him enough to play him more than five minutes a game remains to be seen, but I think he could be a really helpful player right away.

However, I understand that some people see the team doing well right now, and they don’t want to mess with a winning formula. I can see why people have that thought, even if I disagree with it. Also, there is something to be said for White getting big minutes in the AHL, because if Boucher is only going to play White for four to five minutes a night, then he isn’t really doing much to help the team.

The ideal scenario for myself would then be for White to be trusted more, although if I knew that he wasn’t going to be, I don’t have as big of a problem with him staying in Belleville for a bit. If I’m playing devil’s advocate with myself, it wouldn’t be the worst thing for him to excel in the AHL like he has been doing.

Now, Thomas Chabot could be included in this conversation, because I think he deserves a spot in the NHL, but for simplicity’s sake, I’ll limit the poll to Colin White. Furthermore, there is a lot more room up front for White compared to the backend for Chabot.

So now it’s up to you to decide. Should White be considered the best option right now? Should he get a few more games in the AHL? Should they wait until before the end of the year? Or until the second half? Or never this season? I’m interested to see the results.

I feel like most people will be content with him staying in the AHL, as a lot of people have become fearful of prospects being “ruined” a la Curtis Lazar. Sadly, that prospect development will have a long-term effect on us...Nevertheless, I want to hear what you have to think!

When should Colin White get recalled?

Immediately71
After a few more games69
Before the new year82
In the second half of the season171
Not until next season38

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