Injuries Keep Coming For The Senators, But Ullmark Is Finally Ready

Six weeks into the NHL season, injuries have been a constant storyline for the Ottawa Senators.

Just as one player returns, another seems to go down, leaving head coach Travis Green with the challenge of maintaining consistency with a revolving door roster.

Nick Cousins is the latest addition to the injury list. Green says Cousins is expected to miss seven to ten days of action after taking a heavy hit from former Senator Jakob Chychrun during Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Washington.

Just seeing how violently Cousins was hit, it's hard not feel like seven to ten days is an optimistic medical outlook. But if that comes to fruition, that would be great news for Cousins and the team.

The club has been dealing with injuries since training camp and into opening night.

First it was the blue line. The Senators started the year without Artem Zub who missed seven games. Jake Sanderson was hurt in their season opener, forcing their top defenceman to miss eight games. Just as he got back, Thomas Chabot missed four games with an upper body injury. 

The blue line has now been fully healthy for a couple of weeks, but not the injury bug is laying into the forwards, with Cousins being the latest.

Ridly Greig has already missed four games and just returned to the lineup.

The club lost its captain in the offseason and the two men brought in to help replace his offense have missed most of the season so far with injuries.

William Eklund has been out since suffering an ankle injury against Philadelphia on October 8. He underwent surgery, and his recovery timeline points toward early January. 

Andre Burakovsky has had a difficult time staying healthy as well. After missing time earlier in the season, he returned to the lineup only to suffer another upper-body injury against Los Angeles on October 29. At the time he was hurt, he had 0 points in 8 games.

Additionally, Warren Foegele has also been unavailable since suffering a leg injury against Vegas on October 27. 

It's true that Green likes to tinker with his combinations and pairings but he'd probably prefer to do it on his terms, not the injury bug's. While the Senators have managed to remain competitive at 11-6-2, it's not an ideal situation for a group that's trying to establish the kind of consistency you need to be a contender.

Then there's the goaltending, where there is some good news.

Linus Ullmark has been off the injured list for a few days now and practicing fully with the team. According to TSN 1200, despite not taking the morning skate, Ullmark will start against the Avs on Thursday. The veteran goaltender hasn't played since suffering a lower-body injury against Florida on October 21.

Fortunately, Samuel Ersson has helped ease the urgency, playing a lot better lately after a rough start to his Senators career.

When you add up all these challenges, it's pretty impressive to see the Senators still in a playoff spot with a .632 points percentage. 

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News