The Ottawa Senators may have to get by without their captain for a little while, but they’re also getting a key defenseman back into the mix.
Head coach Travis Green said Monday that Thomas Chabot is expected to miss a week or two with the upper-body injury that knocked him out of Saturday’s loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Green added that the timeline is not yet locked in.
At the same time, Jake Sanderson is on track to rejoin the lineup Wednesday. Sanderson practiced Monday and said he is “fired up” to dress after missing the last eight games with a lower-body injury.
Sanderson’s absence has stretched back to Ottawa’s season opener on Oct. 3 against the Maple Leafs, when he lasted just 4:29 before leaving with the injury. Last season, the 24-year-old put up 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games while averaging 24:50 of ice time.
Chabot’s injury was already lingering before Saturday’s game, Green said. The 29-year-old seemed to be protecting his right wrist area after a collision with Flyers forward Trevor Zegras in the first period.
He managed 16 shifts and 12:03 of ice time before exiting. Chabot finished minus-1 with one shot on goal in the loss.
Through nine games entering Saturday, he had one goal and three assists. In 578 career games with Ottawa, the Sainte-Marie, Que. native has totaled 79 goals and 339 points.
The Senators have opened the year 6-3-0 and are sitting third in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa returns home Wednesday to face former captain Brady Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers.
In Other News...
Flyers Suddenly Face A Cam York Problem On Defense
Cam Yorks absence has quickly become a real lineup issue for the Flyers, who had to adjust their blue line after the defenseman landed on injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 8. York was hurt in the game against the Ottawa Senators, and the move leaves Philadelphia shuffling its defense while trying to keep some stability early in the schedule.
To cover the gap, the Flyers brought up Hunter McDonald from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and made corresponding moves with Jack Studnicka and Helge Grans, sending both back to the AHL affiliate. For a team still sorting out its defensive mix, the next question is how long it can manage without York and what the ripple effect will be on the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Linked To Proven Scorer But The Price Could Sting
The Flyers have a winger in Owen Tippett who naturally draws attention when teams start hunting for proven scoring help, and Montreal is one of the clubs being mentioned as a possible fit. Shaun Starr and Marco DAmico have been discussing the Canadiens' interest, pointing to Tippetts ability to finish chances and the way his age lines up with where Montreal is trying to go.
What makes the idea more complicated is the cost. Any move for a scorer with Tippetts profile would almost certainly require real assets coming back the other way, and that is where the conversation starts to get tricky for a team trying to build thoughtfully rather than chase a quick fix. For now, it remains only a speculative link, but it is the kind of rumor that keeps a Flyers name in the center of the market. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Win Eases One Problem While A Bigger Roster Concern Grows
The Flyers got a needed lift in their win over the Senators, and some of the credit went to the young talent that has been pushing harder for a bigger role. Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone helped drive the offense, a reminder that even amid a messy stretch, the organization has some promising options bubbling up as it tries to steady the lineup.
Still, one win does not clear the larger roster issue hanging over the club. Philadelphia is dealing with being shorthanded and may need more movement to patch the depth chart, even after already bringing Hunter McDonald up to help the blue line. With trade chatter still hovering, including the possibility of Travis Konecny being moved at some point, the Flyers remain in the familiar spot of trying to balance immediate survival with longer-term decisions. [Read more 🡒]