Ahead of their game against the Vancouver Canucks tonight, the Ottawa Senators have recalled forward Filip Chlapik from the taxi squad
Czech forward Filip Chlapik is in line to make his season debut for the Ottawa Senators tonight after being recalled from the team’s taxi squad.
In a corresponding move, the Senators have placed defenceman Christian Wolanin on injured reserve – retroactive to January 27th.
Tonight’s game will bring to a close a three-game road trip to British Columbia, a series that has seen the Senators score just twice while allowing 12 goals.
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With Wolanin suffering a lower body injury in yesterday’s 5-1 loss, the Senators have brought Chlapik up to the NHL roster for the first time this season.
The recall could potentially see the 23-year-old centre draw into D.J. Smith’s line-up against the Canucks, though he will have to impress over the number of other centres already at the Senators’ disposal, including the oft-rotated Colin White.
Chlapik has struggled to cement a position on the NHL roster since first being selected in the second round (48th overall) of the 2015 Draft, with a career-high 31 NHL appearances during the 2019/20 season.
In total, Chlapik has made 56 appearances in the Canadian capital, registering five goals and 11 total points during that spell while largely playing a fourth line role with just 9:41 average ice time across his career.
At the NHL level, Chlapik has shown an ability to play a physical role for the Ottawa Senators, something they may be needing to try and stifle the Canucks after two heavy routings in back-to-back games.
However, the Praha native has struggled in the face-off circle so far during his NHL career, and it’s something that needs improving if he hopes to hold down a centre role in the league in the long-run.
The 6-foot-1, 196lbs centre may just be another body to make up the numbers for the Senators, but if he is named in the line-up for tonight’s game, it will be a great opportunity to show progress in his development.