Senators Defenseman to Miss Significant Time Amid Playoff Push

The Ottawa Senators are right on the heels of a massive win against the New York Rangers that significantly boosted their odds of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. As things currently stand, the team is right on the cusp of the cut line for the postseason, and every single victory and triumph will be needed in order to push the Senators over the edge.

Unfortunately for Ottawa, the win against New York came with a fairly large cost: assistant captain and defenseman Thomas Chabot, one of the more capable players on the team, left the game with an injury and appears to be out for a significant amount of time.

Thomas Chabot gets cross checked on the wrists by JT Miller. He drops his stick and is clearly in pain.

The Rangers captain is enemy #1 for the rest of the night.

Really hope Chabby is okay. The #Sens cannot afford to lose him. He’s been so crucial. pic.twitter.com/shCOeYSuUf
— SENS TALK (@senstalk_) March 24, 2026

Late in the first period of what ended up being a 2-1 victory for the Senators over the Rangers, JT Miller cross-checked Chabot on the wrists. Chabot immediately dropped his stick and grabbed his right wrist. It was obvious that he was in pain.

After the game concluded, Senators head coach Travis Green said that Chabot, as well as defenseman Lassi Thomson, would be “out for a while.” Bruce Garrioch later reported that surgery on his right arm was not out of the question. If Chabot were to go under the knife, the recovery time would be at least six weeks, ruling him out for the remainder of the regular season.

Can the Senators Make the Playoffs Without Chabot?

Mar 21, 2026; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot (72) skates with the puck in the third period against. the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images | Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Chabot, who’s in his 10th year in the NHL — all with the Senators — is having one of the better campaigns of his career. Through 55 games, he’d amassed 31 points — seven goals and 24 assists. He’d also been playing well as of late. He recorded a point in the team’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 21 and did the same in a 4-1 defeat to the Washington Capitals on March 18. While goal scoring isn’t necessarily his forte, he does have seven on the season, the latest of which came on March 14 versus the Anaheim Ducks.

The Senators are a fringe playoff team, and they need all the help they can get. Chabot is a big piece of the puzzle for them, and him likely being out for the rest of the playoff push is not ideal.

Still, this Ottawa squad has shown resilience through the trials and tribulations of the long NHL season, and this latest roadblock is not something that’s impossible to surpass. If Green and company can rally the troops, then the Senators, who have a stretch of important games coming up, should be able to find calm seas and land themselves in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

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