Senators Seeking A Top-Nine Forward And Defensive Depth
- The Senators are believed to be looking for a top-nine forward and some defensive depth, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Recent injuries have tested their depth with centers Shane Pinto and Lars Eller out, the latter facing an extended absence while Thomas Chabot has played just once in the last month due to a couple of stints on injured reserve. Ottawa doesn’t have a 2026 first-round pick to dangle in a move, however, with that pick being forfeited due to their nondisclosure of Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade clause in an attempted trade in 2021. The Sens have around $2.7MM in full-season cap space, per PuckPedia, so they may be hard-pressed to try to get both of those wants at this point.
Latest On Carter Yakemchuk
Earlier today, Senators top prospect Carter Yakemchuk left mid-game in the AHL due to injury, as reported by Alex Adams of Sportsnet, who also provided the video clip. The defenseman, coming around the corner in his own end, made a routine pass to start the breakout when Bridgeport enforcer Hunter Drew finished a hard check. Such an impact sent Yakemchuk spilling awkwardly into the boards, and he did not return.
Senators Recall Olle Lycksell; Lars Eller To Miss An Extended Period
The injury woes continue for the Senators as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch relays that center Lars Eller has been ruled out for the remainder of their road trip and that he’s expected to miss extended time. To add some extra forward depth to their roster ahead of today’s matinee against Minnesota, the team announced that they’ve recalled winger Olle Lycksell from AHL Belleville.
Lycksell has been up and down this season between Ottawa and Belleville, not getting a chance to play much at either level. The 26-year-old has played in six NHL contests, picking up one goal and nine shots on goal while averaging a little over 10 minutes per night. For his career, his production at the top level has been rather limited as he has two goals and ten helpers in 51 appearances; the others coming over parts of three seasons with Philadelphia.
Lycksell has been more productive with Belleville, however, tallying six points in nine games with them including four in his last four outings this month. It’s unlikely that he’ll have a chance to play the same role with the big club, however, as he’ll likely be on the fourth line if he gets a chance to get in the lineup.
As for Eller, the veteran is dealing with a lower-body injury. He has played in 28 games with the Sens this season, his first with them after coming over in unrestricted free agency on a one-year deal. The 36-year-old has two goals and four assists while also winning over 60% of his faceoffs, a career-best rate. Ottawa is second in the league in team faceoff percentage, so losing him will certainly be a damper in that category.
Latest On Lars Eller
- Senators forward Lars Eller did not return tonight in Columbus after an apparent lower-body injury, per the team, with no further updates. The 36-year-old appeared to be bothered after blocking a shot. Despite his age, Eller has mostly been durable for Ottawa, skating in 28 games, and notching six points as a steady fourth-line center.
Thomas Chabot To Miss Another Week
- The Ottawa Senators will have to wait a little bit longer for the return of defenseman Thomas Chabot. According to TSN’s Bruce Garrioch, Chabot won’t travel with the team for their upcoming road trip, indicating that he’s still a week out at best. Chabot, who has two goals and 10 points over 18 games this season, has been nursing an upper-body injury since November 22nd.
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Senators Reassign Olle Lycksell
Dec. 10: The Senators announced they loaned Lycksell back to Belleville on Wednesday morning. As expected, he did not play last night and was only around as last-minute insurance in case of an injury.
Dec. 9: Winger Olle Lycksell has been recalled by the Senators from AHL Belleville, according to a team announcement. They had an open roster spot after reassigning Hayden Hodgson to Belleville on Sunday.
The 26-year-old Lycksell has made six appearances across two previous stints on the active roster this season for the Sens. He was waived to begin the season but ended up making the opening night roster anyway. That lasted for a couple of weeks before he was eventually demoted to Belleville for the first time. Ottawa recalled him just a few days later, and he was back on the active roster for nearly a month until sustaining a concussion, putting him on injured reserve. When he was cleared to return in the later stages of November, Ottawa waived him again and sent him back to the B-Sens after he cleared.
Ottawa signed the 5’11” Swede as a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. A sixth-round pick of the Flyers in 2017, he’d remained in the Philly organization up until that point. He only arrived in North America in 2022, but has been a highly successful minor-league producer, notching 55 goals and 133 points in 142 games across four seasons. That includes a 3-2–5 scoring line in eight appearances for Belleville this year.
That production hasn’t carried over to the NHL, though. He’s not particularly physical and has often been miscast in a fourth-line role – skilled enough to provide scoring depth as an injury replacement, but not intriguing enough of a prospect to push for a top-nine minutes. As a result, he’s scored just two goals in 51 career NHL games, one of them coming this season.
Lycksell isn’t expected to play in tonight’s game against the Devils and looks to be in for another stint as an extra forward, per Claire Hanna of TSN. The Sens haven’t been shy about making frequent roster moves to keep their forward depth fresh this season. Lately, it’s been a rotation of Hodgson, Lycksell, and Stephen Halliday heading up and down to ensure no one is sitting in the press box for too long – serving a dual purpose of extending the former two’s waiver-exempt periods.
Senators Reassign Hayden Hodgson
12/07/25: The Senators announced this morning that Hodgson is headed back to AHL Belleville. Hodgson did dress for the Senators’ game last night, but played in less than two minutes of ice time.
12/06/25: As expected, the Ottawa Senators have recalled a forward for tonight’s contest with the news that Shane Pinto would miss with a lower-body injury. To that end, the Senators announced they have recalled Hayden Hodgson from the AHL’s Belleville Senators.
It’s the second recall of the year for Hodgson. The 29-year-old winger was first recalled on November 8th and spent the rest of the month with the Senators before being reassigned only a few days ago.
He was largely ineffective through his first trip of the season with Ottawa. Despite reaching a career-high of eight games played already, Hodgson went scoreless with a -1 rating, averaging 6:55 of ice time per game.
Additionally, his underlying metrics didn’t paint a better picture. At even strength, Hodgson managed a 48.0% CorsiFor% and 88.9% on-ice save percentage. Still, it isn’t easy nor fair to make too many judgments on a player who garnered such a limited opportunity.
Regardless, Hodgson typically doesn’t make his presence known on the offensive side of the puck, even during his tenure in the AHL. A hyperphysical forward, Hodgson has managed 490 PIMs across 234 AHL contests.
At any rate, it’s somewhat surprising that the Senators didn’t recall a more direct replacement to fill the void made by Pinto’s absence. Arthur Kaliyev, who signed with Ottawa this past summer, has been on a torrid pace with Belleville and will be ineligible for waivers for some time after clearing in early October. In 22 games with the AHL Senators, Kaliyev has scored 15 goals and 24 points, bringing similar skills to the roster as Pinto.
Pinto Out At Least Two Weeks, Possibly Out Until After Holiday Break
- The Senators have placed center Shane Pinto on injured reserve, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, who adds that Pinto is expected to miss two weeks and likely more, suggesting that a return after the holiday break may be more realistic. The open roster spot was used to recall Hayden Hodgson earlier today. The 25-year-old got off to a strong start to his season and has 12 goals in 27 games along with a four-year, $30MM contract extension that begins in 2026-27.
Pinto Out Saturday, Recall From Belleville Being Considered
- The Senators won’t have center Shane Pinto available to them for tomorrow’s game against St. Louis, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. He suffered a lower-body injury early in Thursday’s game and is still being evaluated at this time. Meanwhile, there is no timeline for fellow middleman Lars Eller’s return to the lineup from an undisclosed injury. Ottawa recently recalled center Stephen Halliday and head coach Travis Green confirmed that they are contemplating another recall. With Ridly Greig being able to move back down the middle, the Sens won’t be restricted to only considering centers; winger Arthur Kaliyev is off to a strong start and could be worthy of a promotion.
Lower-Body Injury For Pinto
- The Senators announced (Twitter link) that center Shane Pinto left tonight’s game with a lower-body injury. The injury was sustained in the opening period on a hit from Mika Zibanejad. Even though his production has tapered off a bit as of late, the 25-year-old still leads Ottawa in goals with 12 in 27 games and came into the night averaging a career-high 19:30 per game of ice time. An absence for him would be a big blow to their center depth.