Filip Kuba and Pascal Leclaire practice with Ottawa Senators, while Daniel Alfredsson leaves early
The Ottawa Senators received some good news during a recent practice session. Defenceman Filip Kuba and goaltender Pascal Leclaire have both received clearance from the team’s medical staff to resume playing.
Kuba has been out of the Senators’ line-up since 19 September, when he suffered a broken leg during the team’s training camp. He missed the start of the regular season, but will most likely return to action later this week.
The return of Kuba would help Ottawa’s defence corps significantly, as the Sens’ other defencemen will benefit from his veteran leadership.
Leclaire has been shelved since 17 October with a groin injury. Since he was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2009, Leclaire has run into a great deal of bad luck while in Ottawa. He has been very prone to injuries, and has suffered numerous
ailments during his stay with the Senators.
Leclaire was just as injury-prone with the Blue Jackets, who saw him as their goalie of the future before losing faith in him.
Leclaire has not indicated a specific date for his return to the Sens’ net, but has progressed well since suffering the groin injury.
"I don’t want to get into that, if it happens, great; if it doesn’t, it’s a panic button. So far, it feels good and I’m pretty happy where I'm at now."
Despite the good news of having two of their key players return soon, the Senators received a bit of a scare when captain Daniel Alfredsson left the practice early after tweaking an existing lower-body injury.
Head coach Cory Clouston says that Alfredsson will most likely return to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, 2 November.
"He’s not 100 per cent, and he knows his body better than anybody," Clouston said after the practice. "He felt a little tweak, a lower-body (injury), but he should be fine."
The Sens and Leafs will resume the Battle of Ontario on Tuesday night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. The game is scheduled to begin at 19:00.
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