Who Will The Senators Choose To Replace Injured Defenseman Dennis Gilbert?
The Ottawa Senators’ defensive depth is being tested once again.
Already without Jake Sanderson and Nick Jensen, the Senators lost Dennis Gilbert to an upper-body injury Saturday night in a 5–2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Gilbert was hit on a heavy forecheck by Leafs defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who skated with high speed through the neutral zone and eventually drove Gilbert hard into the end boards. Gilbert stayed down for about a minute before leaving the ice under his own power, favouring his shoulder.
After the game, head coach Travis Green said Gilbert could be out for a while.
The Senators clearly value what Gilbert brings, having acquired him twice in the past year. They first picked him up from Buffalo in the Dylan Cozens–Josh Norris deal last March. Gilbert then signed with the Philadelphia Flyers in the offseason before being traded back to Ottawa in a deal for Max Guenette.
Now, the Sens have a decision to make on who will replace Gilbert, the right-shot defenceman who was slotted into the third pairing when Jensen went down.
Lassi Thomson is currently in Ottawa as the seventh defenceman, but that doesn’t automatically make him the next man up. Maybe it's Carter Yakemchuk. Maybe the Sens wanted him to keep playing, not sit in an NHL press box as the seventh man.
Both players have strong pedigrees. Though his NHL stock has slipped, Thomson was a 2019 first-round pick and still leads all AHL defensemen in goal scoring.
Yakemchuk was a much more recent pick, chosen seventh overall in 2024, and he's playing very well too, winning AHL Player of the Week honours last week.
Another option would be to recall a left-shot defenceman from Belleville and shift Nikolas Matinpalo back to his natural right side.
From that perspective, newcomer Samuel Bolduc might have been an intriguing choice. He has four points in his first five games with Belleville after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings last week in exchange for Jan Jenik. But he was acquired after the trade deadline and can't play in the NHL this season.
So, the Senators' options probably come down to the two former first-rounders.
If they’re looking for the defenceman with the highest potential upside and ability to impact games, Yakemchuk stands out. And if they prefer a good skating, experienced AHL performer with a big shot, Thomson is right there, ready to step in, no gas money required.
It's not an easy decision, but we're guessing the Senators will continue to stay patient with Yakemchuk, continuing to shelter him, even though he may be the fans' choice.
If GM Steve Staios truly felt like it was the right thing to drop Yakemchuk into the eye of this playoff storm, where every mistake is so magnified, he likely would have inserted him into the lineup ahead of Gilbert many days ago.
That may ultimately hint at the direction Staios chooses, and we're guessing Thomson will be the next man up.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
*This story has been updated to clarify Bolduc's NHL eligibility this season.
This article was originally published at The Hockey News. For more Senators news, analysis, and features, visit the Ottawa Senators site at The Hockey News.
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