Ever since Guy Boucher took over as coach last season, the Ottawa Senators’ top two defence pairings have remained relatively the same. Erik Karlsson handles the big minutes playing next to someone else, and Dion Phaneuf is paired with Cody Ceci.
Unlike the forward corps, which Boucher likes to blend by the shift, the pairings on defence have consistently remained intact. Since the start of 2016-17, Phaneuf and Ceci have been the NHL’s 15th most used pairing at 5v5, 14th in all situations. Their usage has remained consistent as well, with their 2017-18 zone start ratio (comparison of offensive and defensive zone draws) of 36.