Ottawa Senators winger Clarke MacArthur will not play this season after suffering a concussion back in training camp.
Senators GM Pierre Dorion said the decision was made after discussions with “numerous doctors,” who all indicated that MacArthur shouldn’t play hockey this year.
MacArthur missed all but four games of the 2015-16 season with a concussion, but his return ended before it started when he took a high hit from defenseman Patrick Sieloff during a scrimmage. MacArthur had to be helped off the ice as his teammates rushed Sieloff to confront his about the hit. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported that MacArthur hoped to return by the All-Star break, but a recent baseline test and examination nixed that. Two concussion experts deemed a return this season to be too risky, so while MacArthur has said he doesn’t want to retire, it may not be up to him. Dorion said MacArthur is “devastated” by the news, but he’s going to stay with the team and continue to work out with hopes of an eventual return.
MacArthur is in the second year of a five-year pact which pays him $4.65MM per season. He’s been on LTIR for all of this season and much of last one. Dorion was asked about his efforts to replace MacArthur via the trade market; he told Garrioch that “the prices are ridiculous, almost.”
There is some good news for Senators fans, however. Goaltender Craig Anderson will permanently return to the team sometime in late January or early February. Anderson has been away from the Senators on-and-off since late October when his wife, Nicholle, was diagnosed with cancer. Her cancer has responded well to treatment so Craig should be good to stay with the team.