The Ottawa Senators got unfortunate news on Saturday as it appears defenseman Thomas Chabot suffered an injury in the Senators’ game versus the Philadelphia Flyers. The team was already looking around the league for another defenseman, but if Chabot is out for any significant amount of time, the Sens might feel a pressing need to make a move right away and avoid having their season slip away from them.
The Senators are already off to a slow start (4-8-1 on the season), especially compared to expectations where a retooled team added some significant pieces this offseason. Early injuries to key players and a lack of chemistry has created hurdles thus far this season.
Elliotte Friedman noted during the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada that the Senators would have to see how Chabot is doing when they head home but added, if the defenseman is injured, “What it might do is elevate Ottawa’s attempts to find another defenseman. It’s been well-known out there at GM Pierre Dorion has been trying to do it, as a couple other teams said, he’s been looking under every rock you can think of to find a defender.” Friedman added that there are a couple of things that are coming up against it.
Friedman said Dorion doesn’t want to do anything insane and doesn’t want to make a desperate trade that could damage the team for years to come. He also noted that the Senators are dealing with players who have no-trade clauses that will stop teams from trading them to Canada. “That makes it even more challenging for a team like Ottawa, or other Canadian teams, when it comes to adding players.”
If Chabot is out for a while, this creates a problem for Ottawa who is already shorthanded and is struggling a bit, despite a win in Philly.
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