SENSNEWS

Jake Sanderson Injury Update

The Ottawa Senators will be without their star defenseman Jake Sanderson for the next little while as he recovers from a lower body injury.

Sanderson was injured in the Senators’ last game against the Detroit Red Wings prior to the All-Star break, and he missed their first one back against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Head coach Jacques Martin provided an update on the Senators’ defenseman, stating that the team is hopeful he will begin skating next week.

As for a timeline for his return to game action, it’s still unclear, but the Senators are hopeful that it will be within the next few weeks as Sanderson has not been put on LTIR.

With Sanderson out of the lineup, defenseman Travis Hamonic has returned to the top six and he has been playing on a pair with Erik Brannstrom.

The duo of Brannstrom and Hamonic had a difficult first game together against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but hopefully, they are able to find some chemistry to keep the team afloat until Sanderson returns.

Roby Jarventie Out For Season

With some more unfortunate news on the injury front, Roby Jarventie’s season with the Belleville Senators has come to an end extremely early as he recovers from knee surgery.

This is brutal news for the Senators prospect as he was putting together by far his most complete season in the AHL, scoring 20 points in 22 games and being a leader for Belleville night in and night out.

Jarventie also got his first taste of NHL action this season where he wasn’t quite ready, but still did a serviceable job in the bottom six. Hopefully, Roby can have a solid offseason of recovery and come back even better going into next season.

Oskar Pettersson Gets On The Board

Ottawa Senators prospect, newly signed to the Belleville Senators, Oskar Pettersson has scored his first career AHL goal. The former third-round pick of the Senators has had a good start to his AHL career after being brought over from Sweden.

Pettersson has been playing on the fourth line but has made his impact on the team. He has been playing quite well and is now beginning to get some production to go with it.

With Belleville in the midst of a playoff push, hopefully, Pettersson can replace some of the scoring loss from Roby Jarventie. Although he isn’t expected to be a near point-per-game player, some depth goal scoring would be very useful to this Belleville Senators’ lineup.

The Belleville Senators are also hopeful to get some more reinforcements coming near the end of the season with Stephen Halliday.

It is expected that the Ohio State Buckeye will sign a contract with the team following his NCAA season, and it would make most sense that he would begin his career with the Belleville Senators.

Halliday is having a great season in college, scoring at just under a point-per-game pace right now; he would be welcomed with open arms to the beautiful city, if and when he chooses to sign with the pro club.

Anton Forsberg Nearing Return

Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg looks like he is nearly recovered from his groin injury suffered against the Buffalo Sabres earlier this season. Forsberg was placed on LTIR and missed the past month and a half recovering from his injury.

He was seen skating in a regular jersey and was a full participant in the Senators’ practice, but he was not quite ready to back up against the Maple Leafs, according to head coach Jacques Martin.

Kevin Mandolese has been the backup goalie as of late, and if Forsberg is ready to go Tuesday against the Blue Jackets, it is very likely that he will return to the AHL with Belleville.

Although Anton Forsberg’s season has not been going according to plan, it will be nice to have the veteran goaltender back in the locker room. Hopefully, this time away has helped him recoup himself, and he can find his game once again.