The Ottawa Senators’ season is now a week old, and much of the media attention has been on injury issues. But before anyone adopts a woe-is-us stance, this is not a unique NHL situation, even this early in the season.
Case in point: the New Jersey Devils, Ottawa’s opponent at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night. But let’s get you updated on the Sens’ situation.
Ottawa’s starting goalie, Linus Ullmark, is still dealing with what the club describes as a strain. Ullmark was back skating at practice on Thursday morning, testing things out, but he will not dress for the second straight game. So, after giving up three goals on nine shots on Monday, Anton Forsberg will get the start.
Meanwhile, defenceman Artem Zub (concussion) and Ridly Greig (upper body) will both be out for at least another week or two. Zub’s absence pushes Travis Hamonic into a top-four role and allows Jacob Bernard-Docker to make his season debut in a very inexperienced pairing with former North Dakota teammate Tyler Kleven.
But, again, the Senators don’t have the market cornered on injury issues. The secret is having depth, an NHL team’s rainy-day fund, and teams never go very far without it.
The Devils have started the year at 4-2, even though two of their top defencemen, Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes, have yet to play a game.
Hughes, who finished third in Calder Trophy voting, suffered a shoulder injury during off-season training. He won’t be back until sometime in November.
Pesce, one of their big free-agent signings in the off-season, still hasn’t played after fracturing his fibula in last season’s playoffs. He signed a six-year, $33 million deal to join the Devils and is scheduled to debut with the team any day now.
Even Santeri Hatakka, one of their depth defensemen, had to have shoulder surgery after an injury in a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Seamus Casey, for one, has stepped up big with three goals and an assist, leading all Devils defencemen in goals and points.
The club’s top scorer overall is, surprisingly, former Senator first-rounder Stefan Noesen. He and Jesper Bratt lead all Devils with six points in six games. Noesen isn’t the only former Sens first-rounder on the squad; Curtis Lazar is in the final year of his three-year deal with the Devils.
Ottawa’s top scorer, Tim Stützle, needed just three games to reach the six-point mark and lead all Senators. He and his linemate, Brady Tkachuk, have combined for 11 points already. Tkachuk, as you’d expect, has nothing…