Senators Get Bad News For Artem Zub

The Ottawa Senators will be without top-4 defenseman Artem Zub for at least the next week as he's dealing with a concussion. That type of injury doesn't usually go away and has some lasting effects.

OTT head coach Travis Green said Artem Zub is out a week with a concussion; Linus Ullmark could play tomorrow

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 16, 2024

The Senators already have a generally weak right side of the ice, so losing a defenseman like Zub isn't ideal for the team that is once again trying to get over the hump and make their way into the playoffs.

The problem the Senators usually have to avoid is starting poorly. This injury to a top-4 defender doesn't help what has been a solid first three games. Having Linus Ullmark in net definitely helps, and he is expected to return, so some of the blow of losing Zub for what is expected to be a week, may not be as bad.

Travis Hamonic will slide up from the third pairing and join Jake Sanderson on the top pairing. Coming into the lineup to make his season debut against the New Jersey Devils will be Jacob Bernard-Docker. This is what was shown at practice.

Zub has been a strong top-4 shutdown defenseman for the Senators in each of the past three seasons and his presence will be missed for the few games. The hope is that he won't miss much time this season due to this concussion and there won't be as many hurdles for the Senators to get over to get into a playoff spot.

Photo credit: © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images