May 8: Chabot underwent the surgery within the past week and is doing well, general manager Steve Staios confirmed to Garrioch. He’s expected to be ready for training camp in September.
April 30: Top Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot is expected to spend the next two to three months recovering from a wrist surgery that’s set to take place in the coming weeks, reports Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. Ottawa has spent the last month debating the necessity of this surgery, following Chabot’s early exit in the team’s season-finale with the injury. The injury came just a few games after Chabot’s return after missing much of March with a lower-body injury. The pair of injuries, along with a fractured right hand suffered in November, limited Chabot to just 51 games this season.
Chabot will now have all off-season to make sure he’s back to full health for next season. He remained one of Ottawa’s best defenders despite the injuries this year, netting 30 points in 51 games, just 11 points behind Jakob Chychrun’s – who played all 82 games- scoring lead among the team’s defensemen. Chabot held onto his role as the team’s top option, averaging over 23 minutes of ice time in the games he played, though a step down from the 26 minutes he averaged from 2019 to 2022.
Ottawa only has one defenseman set for free agency this summer – pending RFA Erik Brännström. They should have the rare chance to bring back every member of what was a well-rounded defense, even despite Ottawa allowing the sixth-most goals in the league. A healthy Chabot should help the Senators get and maintain the puck much more often, especially with the backing of Artem Zub – who often received top line ice time in Chabot’s absence.
Why not decide on this much sooner? What a waste of time recovering….
@pawtucket — He may have hoped that rehab would be enough. Either that, or he went into the hospital, and they told him to take a number. That number was 4 digits long, and the counter read “expected wait time — 3 months (and don’t lose that ticket, else you’ll go to the back of the line)”.
Chabot is a chronically injured player on another $8M bloated Ottawa contract. He’s averaged only 61 games a season for his career.
When he’s healthy, he’s a cornerstone defenseman. It’s a shame.