Adrian Aucoin

I debated about whether to place Aucoin behind or ahead of Giordano, but the more I think about it the more I think I'd much rather have Giordano on the second pairing. It's not that I think Aucoin is devoid of ability, quite the contrary. I think he still has ok offensive instincts and his defence isn't bad - it's just not great either.

His mobility last year was just so awful- I can't recall all the instances I saw him get beat on the outside.

Looking at Aucoin's desjardins numbers I think Keenan evaluated Aucoin in much the same way. The only defenceman playing lesser competition and getting less EV ice time was Vandermeer and Warrener.

The good news is that I think Aucoin did pretty well in the situations he played in (on average). His GFON was pretty middle of the pack but his offensive stats are definitely better than average.

My hope for the upcoming season is that Aucoin is sheltered from the tough competition and utilized as a nice weapon against the softies.

Projection: 3rd pairing defenceman (#1 PP Unit)
Key Stat: #1 defenceman goals/60