Amateur Methot played
major junior ice hockey for the
London Knights of the
Ontario Hockey League (OHL) beginning in the
2002–03 season. Following his first season in the OHL, he was drafted by the
Columbus Blue Jackets at the
2003 NHL entry draft, 168th overall in the sixth round. In the
2004–05 season, Methot and the Knights won the
2005 Memorial Cup, prevailing over the
Rimouski Océanic in the final.
Professional Columbus Blue Jackets Methot made his professional debut during the
2005–06 season with the
Syracuse Crunch, Columbus' then-
American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He spent the entire year with the Crunch, playing in 70 games and scoring two goals and 11 assists for 13 points. Methot then made his NHL debut with the Blue Jackets during the
2006–07 season, appearing in 20 games, in addition to 59 with Syracuse. He then became a regular on the Columbus blueline beginning in the
2008–09 season. . On July 5, 2011, the Blue Jackets re-signed Methot to a four-year contract extension. He played for
Team Canada during the
2011 and
2012 World Championships. An assortment of injuries limited Methot's effectiveness with the Blue Jackets, most notably a
mandibular fracture suffered during the
2011–12 season.
Ottawa Senators On July 1, 2012, Methot was traded to the
Ottawa Senators in exchange for forward
Nick Foligno. Ottawa had reportedly on multiple occasions attempted to acquire the defenceman during the 2011–12 season, but were unable to finalize the transaction. The loss of two of Ottawa's starting six defencemen via free-agency meant that acquiring a defenceman became a major priority, and the team again set their sights on Methot, an
Ottawa native. After starting the season paired with
Norris Trophy-winning defenceman
Erik Karlsson, Methot was charged with the responsibility on anchoring the team's defense after his partner was lost to an Achilles injury. The Senators finished the year with the NHL's second-lowest
goals against average (GAA) as a team, and Methot's steady play led to an invite to Team Canada's training camp in the summer of 2013 in preparation for the
2014 Winter Olympics, though he was not ultimately selected for the final roster. On February 16, 2015, Methot signed a $19.6 million contract extension with Ottawa carrying an average annual value of $4.9 million. The deal would have kept Methot in Ottawa for a further four seasons. On March 23, 2017, Methot suffered an injury when
Sidney Crosby, during a home game against the
Pittsburgh Penguins, slashed him on the hand, severing the tip of his left pinky, requiring ten stitches to repair the severed fingertip. Crosby was not penalized and was not suspended or fined . Methot later returned in the post-season to help the Senators reach the Eastern Conference Finals, where he lost in 7 games to Crosby’s
Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dallas Stars After his fifth season with the Senators, Methot was left exposed by the club at the
2017 NHL expansion draft. With the Senators unable to work out a trade to prevent his selection, he was chosen by the
Vegas Golden Knights on June 21, 2017. Just five days later, on June 26, Methot was traded by the Golden Knights to the
Dallas Stars in exchange for
Dylan Ferguson and 2020 2nd-round pick. Methot was also forced to choose a different jersey number after previously wearing #3 with both the Blue Jackets and Senators, as
John Klingberg already wore the number. Methot chose to wear #33. Methot would remain with the Stars for the rest of his contract but played only 45 games over two seasons due to injury. On March 9, 2021, Methot confirmed on
Twitter that he had retired after playing 13 seasons in the NHL. ==The Wally and Methot Show==