Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot underwent surgery for a broken right arm and will miss six to eight weeks, coach Travis Green announced Thursday.
Chabot suffered the injury late in the first period of Monday’s 2-1 road win over the New York Rangers. He took a cross-check to the arm from Rangers captain J.T. Miller, who was not penalized on the play. The 29-year-old immediately grabbed his arm in pain, skated to the bench and did not return. Green confirmed the procedure was successful but noted Chabot would be sidelined for a significant period, potentially up to two months.
This comes at a challenging time for Ottawa’s blue line. Chabot has been a key contributor this season, logging 23:42 of ice time per game, second only to Jake Sanderson on the team. In 55 games, he has recorded seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points while posting a plus-6 rating. His production had surged lately, with nine points in his last 12 games dating back to late February.
The Senators are already thin on defense. Lassi Thomson, who made his season debut Monday against the Rangers but played just four minutes, sustained a lower-body injury in the second period and is day-to-day. Dennis Gilbert remains out for another two to three weeks, while Nick Jensen is also sidelined. Rookie defenders Carter Yakemchuk and Jorian Donovan stepped up with NHL debuts in Tuesday’s 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.
A bright spot emerged with Sanderson, Ottawa’s top defenseman who averages over 24 minutes per game when healthy. Out since March 7 with an upper-body injury and missing nine contests, he has resumed skating and will join the team on its upcoming two-game road trip to Florida starting Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Ottawa holds the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 86 points and 10 games left in the regular season. The injury to Chabot, a cornerstone of their defensive core, tests their depth as they push for the playoffs. First-round action begins in just over three weeks, and his absence could extend deep into the postseason if the Senators advance. The team showed resilience with wins over the Rangers and Red Wings this week, but navigating this defensive crisis will be crucial in the stretch run.
Thomas Chabot had surgery and will be out 6–8 weeks after this cross-check from JT Miller…
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 26, 2026
There was no penalty called on the play 😬pic.twitter.com/AnSEeMtwPO
