Having spent his entire professional career with the Winnipeg franchise, Slater finally saw a bump in ice-time in 2011-2012 after six years of roughly 10:00 per-game. Though the American center finished last year with a career-high 13 goals and is certainly trending in the right direction, he is still less than impactful in all but the very deepest of leagues.
Schubert is likely to spend the season bouncing between forward and defense, but he's also a prime candidate to be traded due to Ottawa's defensive depth and the fact that the Sens have some skilled forward prospects who are NHL ready. If Schubert is not traded, don't be surprised to see him begin the season with the B-Sens. He has little offensive upside and should be considered more of a shutdown defenseman.
Schubert should once again see time as both a forward and defenseman in 2008-09. Ottawa currently has a lot of depth on the blueline and it would not be a surprise to see Schubert traded this year. The big German has a cannon of a slapshot, but he needs to work on getting it on the net. His offensive upside is limited, but he has decent defensive abilities. Schubert should be considered a work in progress.
With the departure of Tom Preissing to free agency, this year should see the big and bruising Schubert return to his natural position as a defenseman, likely paired with Joe Corvo on Ottawa's third pairing. He'll also be used, should the situation arise, as a forward on a checking line. Schubert is not an offensive threat on the blueline and is known more for his defensive attributes.
The speedy defenseman with an offensive flair often found himself playing on the wing in place of injured Senators. Expect the same this year as Ottawa's blueline is as deep as its ever been with Schubert being the odd man out.
Even with Greg de Vries' departure there is no guarantee that Schubert will make the Sens as he's facing a stiff battle with sensational blue-chip prospect Andrej Meszaros for the sixth defensive spot. Also, the team may decide to add another proven blueliner before the season starts.
