Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot to miss remainder of season with broken hand

Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The Ottawa Senators suffered a tough blow Thursday morning after it was announced star defenseman Thomas Chabot would miss the remainder of the year with a broken hand.

Chabot played just 8:54 of the Senators’ game Wednesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets before leaving with the injury.

“It looks like he will be out a little bit,” head coach D.J. Smith said after the game, with that little bit turning into the remainder of the season.

Chabot took an awkward hit into the boards by Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly less than a minute into the second period. Chabot picked up his stick immediately, favoring the right side of his body. He returned for one 17-second shift, but that was the last he took.

While it was speculated he injured his shoulder, it was clearly the hand that was the problem.

Already well out of a playoff spot, the Senators don’t have much to play for through the remainder of the year, so shutting down Chabot makes sense.

Drafted by the team 18th overall in 2015, Chabot has developed into a strong defenseman for the Sens. In 309 games with the team, Chabot’s tallied 41 goals and 184 points.

This year, Chabot was having one of his most productive seasons in the NHL with six goals and 34 points through 55 games. His 0.62 points per game mark falls only second to the 0.79 PTS/G he produced in 2018-19.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.