Ottawa Senators forward Derick Brassard will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a lower body injury in the 2nd period of Thursday’s win over Philadelphia.
As Shane Pinto was in the midst of scoring, Brassard was tied up with Flyers netminder Felix Sandstrom and hit the ice awkwardly. Replays showed the forward’s right leg bent underneath him as he went down, and he needed to be helped off the ice by the team’s training staff.
Head coach DJ Smith confirmed to reporters that Brassard underwent surgery Saturday morning to repair a broken fibula. The Hull, QC native has appeared in over 1,000 NHL games across 16 seasons, but could face an uphill battle if he hopes to return in 2023-24.
When asked about how such a significant injury impacts his future in the league, Smith remarked “That’s for him to decide, that’s a tough injury….he’s had a heck of a year and we’re going to miss him.”
A typical recovery timeline for such an injury is 6-8 weeks, which could theoretically make him available for the start of training camp. However with his 36th birthday looming in September, and the 1,000 game milestone now in the rearview mirror, Brassard’s future in the league is now murky at best.
The 35 year old is currently in his second tour of duty with the Senators after making the team on a PTO during training camp. Brassard has 23pts (13G, 10A) across 62 NHL contests this season with the Senators. He will become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
Ottawa has been ravaged by injuries all season long, but has been especially affected by them of late. Travis Hamonic, Thomas Chabot, and Jakob Chychrun aren’t expected to travel with the team on their upcoming road trip, however the Sens are optimistic Hamonic may be able to return shortly thereafter.
Currently sitting 5pts behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final wildcard spot with 7 games remaining, the Senators will need some luck if they hope to reach the postseason in a few weeks time.
Ottawa is next in action Saturday night vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Michael Miller. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.