The Ottawa Senators lost more than just a hockey game against the Edmonton Oilers Saturday afternoon. Speaking to reporters Sunday GM Pierre Dorion confirmed that both Anton Forsberg and defenseman Jake Sanderson will be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Forsberg, 30, had to be stretchered off the ice late in the 3rd period after Zach Hyman was pushed on top of him by Senators defenseman Travis Hamonic.
Scans following the game revealed that the goaltender suffered torn MCLs in both of his knees as a result of the incident. While Dorion stopped short of calling it a season ending injury, with only 31 games to play, Forsberg’s year is effectively over.
Across 28 appearances in 2022-23, the Swedish netminder accumulated an 11-11-2 record with a .902 SV% and 3.26 GAA. Forsberg is in the first of a 3 year $8.25M contract with Ottawa which pays him an AAV of $2.75M.
Compounding matters is the fact that the Sens other goaltender, Cam Talbot, is currently on injured reserve himself, leaving 22 year old Mads Soogard as the only healthy body in the crease for the club.
In a separate play, Ottawa also lost top rookie Jake Sanderson to an upper body injury which will cost him at least the next two weeks of action.
Sanderson, 20, left the game after taking an awkward hit from Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
In the meantime, Ottawa has recalled goaltender Kevin Mandolese from the Belleville Senators and will re-evaluate Talbot ahead of the team’s game vs. Calgary on Monday.
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