Senators Make Series Of Moves After Blueline Devastated By Injury

It's been a tough week and a half for the Ottawa Senators' blueline. They were already without Artem Zub for over a week. But now with both Thomas Chabot and Erik Brännström going down to injury for some time, that's another 40 minutes of defence play per game the Sens have to replace. 

With that, they've made a couple of moves on Saturday, calling up rookie D-men Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo from the AHL.

Roster update: The #Sens have recalled defencemen Tyler Kleven and Nikolas Matinpalo from @BellevilleSens.

— Sens Communications (@Media_Sens) October 28, 2023

Kleven, 21, is a former second-round pick by Ottawa in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (#44 overall). He has two assists in four games with the Belleville Senators this year, and played eight games in Ottawa last season, registering two helpers. He's a left-shot D. 

Matinpalo, 25, is a right-shot blueliner from Finland, who has one goal in four games at the AHL level this year. He was undrafted, and the Sens signed him after his play at the 2023 Worlds. 

Those two join a 3rd Belleville player on the Ottawa blueline Saturday night, as Jacob Bernard-Docker has been with the team since Zub went down. 

As for Chabot, he has unfortunately now been placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) after suffering a fractured hand. He'll be out for about six weeks. 

Brannstrom had to be carted off the ice on a stretcher Thursday night after suffering a concussion. He's out indefinitely.

Photo: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports