Senators Jakob Chychrun and Ridly Greig out with injuries

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 27: Ridly Greig #17 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 27, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 27: Ridly Greig #17 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 27, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Senators defeated the Maple Leafs 6-2. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The injury bug has really derailed the Ottawa Senators this season, already having amassed injuries to numerous key contributors.
Adding insult to injury, the Senators lose two more players, Jakob Chychrun and Ridly Greig, to injuries. Chychrun is out with a lower-body injury for a couple of weeks while Greig is out for the rest of the season with a sternum injury (per Elliotte Friedman). The Senators currently have seven players on the injury list (including Chychrun and Grieg) which include Joshua Norris, Mathieu Joseph, Parker Kelly, Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg.

Jakob Chychrun

Newly acquired defenceman Jakob Chychrun has been an important part of the Senators’ defensive core this season as he has averaged a bit under 20 minutes in all situations. This ranks third among defencemen on the team, behind Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson. Chychrun has had some problems on the defensive side of the game as he has the worst xGA (Expected Goals Against)/60 on the team. This is likely due to his matchups, which are one of the more difficult ones on the team. On the other hand, he has been impactful on the offensive side of the game as his xGF (Expected Goals For)/60 is in the top half for his team.

Ridly Greig

Ridly Greig has been moving between the Belleville Senators and the Ottawa Senators this season. When an opportunity presented itself earlier this month, Greig made the best of it. He played in the middle six, with various players from Claude Giroux to Derrick Brassard while playing against powerhouses such as the Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche. Although it was a limited showing, five games while only playing at 5v5, he was effective at both ends of the ice.

Players stepping up

It is unfortunate that two key players for the Senators have been injured, particularly as the season draws to a close and the team aims to secure a playoff spot. This emphasizes the importance of other players stepping up, such as Erik Brannstrom, and seizing the opportunity to contribute as exemplified by Tyler Kleven.

Unless stated otherwise, stats refer to 5v5 among players who have played over 100 minutes. The stats from this article come from NaturalStatTrick.