Ottawa Senators Thrilled to Get Clarke MacArthur Back
By Ian Smith
Sometimes the most refreshing roster transaction isn’t a new player, but a familiar one returning from a prolonged absence.
The jolt it can provide is just as powerful and influential as acquiring a new reinforcement. Clarke MacArthur missed all but 4 games last season for the Ottawa Senators. It might as well be a brand new addition for them when he hits the ice again.
The Senators are treating MacArthur’s return from injury with the same optimism of a new player helping an offense take that next step forward.
As much as the Senators underachieved last season, scoring goals was never their problem. They ranked 9th in the league in goals per game, and that was with the lengthy absences of both MacArthur and Kyle Turris.
Each of those players is capable of scoring more than 20 goals when healthy, so they’re returning two solid goal scorers to an already top 10 offense.
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Derick Brassard also scored 27 goals last year for the New york Rangers, which would have ranked 2nd on the Senators last season.
They had to give up Mika Zibanejad for him, but at least for the time being, Brassard will remain a more productive scorer than Zibanejad.
The Senators are adding intriguing components to an already potent offense, so scoring goals probably isn’t going to be a problem for this team.
MacArthur has been plagued with concussions for the last 2 seasons, but he appears all set to start the regular season in the Senators’ lineup.
In February of 2015, MacArthur was involved in a collision with Robin Lehner, and both suffered concussions.
It would only get worse for MacArthur in the near future, as he suffered another concussion just 4 games into the 2015-2016 season.
MacArthur was out for the rest of the year while he recovered from it. There was some optimism that he’d return after passing a baseline test and being medically cleared to play in March, but the Senators decided to shut him down and not risk having him return too early from a serious ailment.
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MacArthur is ready to add a talented scoring presence to the Senators’ offense. He brings both speed and toughness to the ice, and he’ll play a large in role in the Senators’ quest to not miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season.