3 Ottawa Senators That Need To Step Up In Erik Karlsson's Absence

The Ottawa Senators were dealt a huge blow on Wednesday evening when they lost their best defenceman Erik Karlsson after an awkward collision in the corner with Matt Cooke in a 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Senators are now without two of their best players in Karlsson and Jason Spezza, but the loss of their Norris Winning defenceman and arguably the best defenceman in the game right now will be extremely difficult to overcome.

Cooke's skate lacerated Erik Karlsson's achilles which will result in the defenceman undergoing season-ending surgery. Was the "stomp" intentional or accidental? The NHL saw it as un-intentional as Cooke will not be suspended. In my opinion it was a routine hockey play that went horribly wrong, Cooke was just trying to keep his balance and his foot came down on the back of Karlsson's leg - complete accident with horrific results. Now before you freak out over saying  Cooke did it on purpose, ask yourself this- If this was anyone other than Matt Cooke would you be calling this an accident or intentional?

Whether you believe it was a clean play or not, it's a huge blow to the Senators who were having a very good start to the year. Now with both Karlsson and Spezza out of the lineup they have some big shoes to fill in order salvage the season. Which Senators will step up in Erik Karlsson's absence and help lead the team?

Daniel Alfredsson

There's a reason Alfredsson where's the "C" on his jersey, he's expected to lead the Ottawa Senators. What better time to lead this young Senators team than when two of their best players are hurt? Alfredsson has always been a solid leader for the Sens, often rallying them in close games, scoring the key goal. Right now he's 3rd on the team in scoring with 8 points, but he'll need to pick up that pace without the scoring of Spezza and Karlsson. In what may be Alfredsson's last season this is the perfect chance for him to go out as a hero, come in and rescue the team when their two key players go down and help guide them to the playoffs one last time.

The Senators have never needed their captain more then they do right now, everything they know and count on is falling apart they need their captain to step up and fill the gap for the season or until they can get reinforcements. Over the next few months we will see the true leadership skills of Daniel Alfredsson.

Kyle Turris

Turris all but gave up during his time with the Phoenix Coyotes demanding out as he no longer felt he could develop further. He got his wish when the Ottawa Senators came to his rescue and brought him in to play with Jason Spezza. Turris enjoyed playing on a line with the skilled Spezza and reaped the benefits by putting up 29 points. But now without his linemate Turris needs to start making his own luck and help the Senators who helped him out of Pheonix.

"I've got to come through with creating more opportunities for myself and my linemates and be more offensively productive." ~ Kyle Turris

With Spezza out, Turris will be called upon to take up the offence that is missing. After being dubbed as a "draft bust" it's time for Turris to put all his skills together and produce like the Senators are expecting him to. Turris currently leads the team with 11 points and will need to keep up his strong play and help elevate the game of his teammates if the Senators have any hope of persevering through the injuries.

Craig Anderson

As good as Anderson has been to start off the year he now has to be even better. With Karlsson going down (who was leading the team in goals) and Spezza one of the best natural goal scorers on the shelf, goals will be hard to come by for the Senators which means Anderson needs to be near perfect. Posting a .949 Save Percentage and 1.58 Goals Against Average with 7 wins through 12 games, Anderson has been one of the best goalies to start off the year. He'll need to keep standing on his head and shutting down the opposition as the Senators may find themselves in a lot of 1 goal games.

With their best defenceman, and future captain out indefinitely, things are not about to get any easier for the Ottawa Senators who need to buckle down and grind out some tough wins. Daniel Alfredsson, Kyle Turris and Craig Anderson will all need to bring their "A" game to lead the Senators through the rest of the season without Erik Karlsson.

What You Need to Know August 31

This will be the second installment of " What You Need to Know" this week. For those that know this is my summer series where I run down a whole bunch of news/stories/rumours that have taken place in the NHL or will impact the NHL over the last week. Here we go:

• Players un-happy with NHL's second offer

It (the NHL proposal) was a pig with lipstick on, instead of a pig.'' ~Red Wings Dan Cleary

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman had stated after that "Substantial differences" had been implemented in the leagues second proposal to the players. The second proposal would see the players percent of the pie rise to 46 but add that a percentage of players salaries would go towards escrow. The tone from the players after looking over the proposal was pretty negative, some even went on to say "Bettman is adamant on his third lockout".

The two sides met again today and the NHLPA was expected to present their changes to the league second proposal.

• Oilers lock up another young stall in Eberle

Shortly after his best friend both on and off the ice Taylor Hall signed his deal with the Oilers, Jordan Eberle signed on the dotted line. The Oilers and Eberle agreed to a 6 year deal worth $36 million.

"Obviously I'm pretty excited, with Taylor getting his done last week, I was pretty anxious. I'm happy to be an Oiler ... and I think with the direction the team's going it's pretty obvious that there's a lot of excitement level around Edmonton and throughout our locker room."

Heck for $36 million, I'd be happy to be an Oiler too! This is a great signing both for Eberle and the Oilers as they help lock up another key member of their core going forward. Eberle has 52 goals and 67 assists in 147 games with the Oilers.

• Bogosian on the shelf 4-6 months

The Winnipeg Jets will be without the services of defenceman Zach Bogosian for the next 4-6 months after he underwent a successful surgery on his right wrist. The surgery was to repair a torn ligament in his wrist.

• Top prospect for Wild goes wild and breaks his leg

Mario Lucia one of the top prospects for the Minnesota Wild broke his right fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle when a teammate fell on him at practice. The injury will likely result in Lucia missing the first three months of his freshman year at Notre Dame. The Wild took Lucia in the second round in the 2011 draft and is thought of to be in the top 10 of up and coming Wild prospects.

"Hopefully I'll get back quicker than three months, but I'm in a cast for seven weeks, so there's not much I can do about that."

• Roy recovering well from shoulder surgery

Sticking with the injury news, Derek Roy is eyeing a return to the Dallas Stars in November. After being traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Dallas Stars this offseason Roy underwent shoulder surgery to fix an ailing injury. Roy will soon be getting back on the ice and is looking forward to joining his new teammates;

"I haven’t skated in a while, I am going to start skating in three weeks or a month, and get that back up to speed, keep rehabbing the shoulder and move forward."

Roy managed 44 points in 80 games which resulted in a disappointing season with the Sabres. The Stars are hoping that he will be able to up that production now that he fixed his shoulder.

• More  star players heading overseas

While nothing yet is official (and wont be until after September 15th) players are starting to look for other places to play next season. In Monday's edition I mentioned the Ovechkin has been in contact with the KHL and this past week his lawyer flew over to talk about a possible contract. Even worse news for fans if the lockout goes past December fans can expect to see the golden boy Sidney Crosby head overseas. Crosby's agent said if the NHL remains on strike into late December Crosby will indeed look for other options overseas. Crosby's teammate Evgeni Malkin will also be heading overseas if a lockout is imminent. On top of that the KHL president has said he is "Prepared to welcome all locked out NHLers, the gate is wide open". Speaking as a NHL fan *gulp*

• Turris resigns after a fresh start in Ottawa

After being labelled as a player who didn't try hard and would quit on a team when he wanted out, Kyle Turris was traded to the Ottawa Senators and found a new home at the end of last season. Now it appears he'll be making Ottawa his home for the foreseeable future. The Senators and Turris agreed to a 5 year contract extension that will see him stay in the nation's capital through the 2017-2018 season.

"I'm really excited, I love it here in Ottawa. I love being part of the organization and the people in it and the hockey team we have here. I'm really looking forward to being here the next six years, and hopefully past that. I knew at the end of the year that this was the place I wanted to be, and I wanted to be for a long time. I love the city. I love everything about it."

 

• Rene Bourque to miss 8-12 weeks

More injury news to report, the Montreal Canadiens Rene Bourque will be out for the next 8-12 weeks after surgery to repair a wall in his abdomin that collapsed during training.

That will do it for the stories from the past week.