Senators defenseman Artem Zub still recovering from postseason injury

The Ottawa Senators are monitoring a few injuries headed into training camp. Most notably, defenseman Artem Zub is still recovering from an injury sustained during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is expected to be ready for training camp, though Ottawa could look towards professional try-outs if he is not healthy, per Bruce Garrioch of Ottawa Citizen.

Zub left early in game one of Ottawa’s first-round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes due to an undisclosed injury. He went on to miss the remainder of the series, which ended with Ottawa being swept in the first round.

Zub’s top-pair presence on the Ottawa blue line is rolling into its sixth season. He has proven to be a reliable defensive defenseman, offering a capable compliment to offensive defensemen Jake Sanderson. That role produced a career-peak for Zub last season, marked by 30 points, a plus-22, and 120 shot blocks in 81 games. He also led the Senators’ penalty-kill last season with 228 minutes of ice time. Zub managed similar results in 2023-24 despite missing 13 games, with 25 points, 122 shot blocks and 139 hits.

If he can remain on schedule, Zub is expected to lead Ottawa’s right-side defense again, ahead of the recently re-signed Jordan Spence and top prospect Carter Yakemchuk. If Zub is not ready, free agents such as John Klingberg, Nick Blankenburg or Logan Stanley could push for a try-out deal. Ottawa could also give prospects Hoyt Stanley, Tomas Hamara, and Christian Kyrou expanded opportunities in training camp.