Jakob Chychrun To Miss Multiple Weeks

When the Senators acquired Jakob Chychrun from Arizona just prior to the trade deadline, the hope was that his addition would help lead a late playoff push.  That push just got considerably more difficult now as head coach D.J. Smith told TSN 1200 (Twitter link) that the blueliner will miss at least a couple of weeks with a lower-body injury.

Chychrun had made a nice impact on Ottawa’s back end since the trade, collecting five points in a dozen games while averaging more than two blocks per contest in 21 minutes a night of action.  For the season, he has played in 48 games between the Sens and Coyotes, picking up 33 points (the second most of his career) with his strong showing early on helping Arizona land three draft picks (including Ottawa’s first-round pick this season) in the swap.

Earlier this week, the Senators signed prospect Tyler Kleven to a contract that begins this season, giving him the opportunity to get into some NHL action down the stretch.  With Chychrun potentially out for the remainder of the regular season, it might not be long before he’s making his professional debut.  Meanwhile, Ottawa has ten games left in their push for a Wild Card spot and currently trails Pittsburgh by five points for the final seed.  They’ll be dealing with a considerably weaker back end to try to make that happen.