A cross-check to the back has sidelined the veteran winger, who was in the process of securing a top-six forward role.
Andre Burakovsky was looking like one of the more encouraging developments of Ottawa Senators training camp.
But now the familiar question surrounding the talented winger has surfaced again: Can he stay healthy?
Burakovsky suffered an upper-body injury Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens after taking a cross-check in the back near the boards. He was in the process of trying to reverse the puck and Arber Xhekaj checked him head first into the boards then fell on him.
Burakovsky hasn't been back on the ice since.
On Wednesday, Senators head coach Travis Green confirmed that Burakovsky isn't likely to play in the regular season opener in Toronto on Saturday.
“He still hasn't skated. Upper body. I don't expect him to play on the weekend,” Green said.
Burakovsky joins Artem Zub as players who won't be ready to start the season. Green sounded more hopeful about Jake Sanderson's status, though he didn't skate on Wednesday.
It's unfortunate timing for Burakovsky, who had been very noticeable throughout training camp and the preseason.
At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Burakovsky's size and skating ability stood out, and he appeared to be comfortably tracking toward a spot in the top six. That's exactly what the Senators were hoping for when they acquired him from the Chicago Blackhawks in June for a sixth-round draft pick.
At his best, Burakovsky has shown he's a guy who can produce at a top-six level.
His finest NHL season came with the Colorado Avalanche in 2021-22, when he established career highs with 22 goals and 61 points in 80 games before helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup. The previous two seasons, he produced 45 points in 58 games and 44 points in 53 games.
Even his first season in Seattle started well. Burakovsky had 39 points in 49 games and was leading the Kraken in scoring when a groin injury in February ended his season. He suffered setbacks during his rehab and eventually required surgery.
Unfortunately, injuries have been a recurring theme in his career.
Early the following season, Burakovsky required surgery after suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Rangers and was projected to miss six to eight weeks.
Even in his early days with Washington, he missed significant time with injuries to both hands, including a fractured thumb that required surgery, and also underwent another procedure after being injured during the 2018 playoffs.
Burakovsky has been healthier over the past two seasons. He played 79 games for Seattle in 2024-25 and 75 for Chicago last season, producing 11 goals and 33 points for the Blackhawks.
Last November, he missed five games after taking a brutal hit to the head from Seattle's Ryan Lindgren. But that didn't slow down his production in the first half of the season. By Jan. 7, he had 29 points in 38 games. But in the second half? Crickets. Even while playing consistently with Connor Bedard, he had only 4 points in the final 32 games.
The Hawks stuck with him on the top line because their analytics said, despite his slump, he was producing chances. But at some point, the simple goals and assist totals override everything else, which is part of why the Hawks were willing to move him for just a sixth rounder.
When Burakovsky showed up in Ottawa for camp last month, he looked like he might be in the process of rediscovering his first half magic of last season. Instead, he rediscovered the injury bug.
It's bad timing for the Sens, and bad timing for Burakovsky.
The 31-year-old is entering the final season of the five-year, $27.5-million contract he signed with Seattle in 2022 and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. With salaries escalating around the NHL, a healthy and productive season could put him in position for another big payday.
There is still plenty of time for that to happen.
But after an encouraging start to his first training camp in Ottawa, already being shut down by injury before the Sens play their first regular-season game is not the ideal start.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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