The Ottawa Senators found themselves in a unique situation early in the season, they had a surplus of NHL defencemen. Now that depth is being put to the test as mark Borowiecki and Chris Wideman could be very far removed from playing.
The second half of November saw the Ottawa Senators plummet down the standings, and it also saw them lose two depth defencemen. Chris Wideman went down with a torn hamstring on November 16th versus the Pittsburgh Penguins. Then just a few days later, on the 19th, Mark Borowiecki went down with a concussion.
Chris Wideman
For Wideman it appears that he may be out for a very long time. Surgery is still a very likely possibility and his status for the rest of the season is unknown. It appears that the type of tear that he has is a very rare and severe case. As a result, the recovery time is currently unknown.
Mark Borowiecki
Borowiecki went down with a concussion in a game against the New York Rangers in the 19th. It can be difficult to project recovery times when it comes to concussions. They are unpredictable in their nature. However, they are rarely recovered from quickly.
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Depth Needs To Step Up
As a result, the Ottawa Senators will need to rely on their defensive depth for the coming months. Players such as Claesson, Harpur, and Chabot will be leaned on heavier than expected. Chabot and Harpur who were expected to develop in the AHL this season will see regular NHL time.
As the Ottawa Senators attempt to get out of this losing skid, their defensive depth will have to step up. Otherwise it could be a very long season for the Ottawa Senators.