Ottawa Senators: Erik Karlsson May Not Be Ready For Opening Night

The Ottawa Senators will begin the regular season in just over a week, but their opening night roster is uncertain. Injuries have plagued the team and even captain Erik Karlsson may not be ready for opening night.

With all the injuries the Ottawa Senators have had to deal with it was nice to hear that Erik Karlsson had begun skating. However, unfortunately Karlsson doesn’t believe that this means he’ll be ready for opening night. He’s optimistic that he will return sooner rather than later but opening night may be asking too much.

Karlsson revealed that they actually took out half of his ankle bone during his surgery. This could lead to some adjustment as losing part of a bone will likely feel quite different. However, it’s unlikely that this will cause any huge negative ramifications to his game. He will simply have to adjust to the new feeling in his foot.

With Karlsson skating there is always the chance that he could return at any time. It all comes down to when he feels comfortable enough to play at one hundred percent. He is not willing to sacrifice his health long term to play a few games earlier. This is a good thing for Sens fans as we still likely have more than ten years of Karlsson’s career to look forward to.

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With Karlsson saying he will likely not be ready for opening night it once again opens the door a little further for prospect Thomas Chabot. Given his performance during the pre-season thus far it seems likely he will have a spot opening night. As long as he is given the chance to play against NHL competition he has the chance to prove that he belongs in the NHL. He has the capability to make it impossible for management to send him down to the AHL for the season. He’s good enough to handcuff them in that way. He just needs the chance to prove himself.