Karlsson on crutches after Achilles surgery
Erik Karlsson was sporting crutches as he paid a visit to Scotiabank Place on Friday, but for an instant, he pretended that everything was the same as it has always been.
Erik Karlsson was sporting crutches as he paid a visit to Scotiabank Place on Friday, but for an instant, he pretended that everything was the same as it has always been.
“He wanted to practice, so I said, ‘put your gear on’,” said Senators coach Paul MacLean. “He’s in good cheer, very positive, talking like he wants to be back sooner (than expected). I just made sure he was doing all right, told him to get healthy.”
Karlsson, who had Achilles tendon surgery Thursday after being cut by Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke on Wednesday, will probably need at least six months of recovery before he can play again. Considering how important he is to the future of the team, Senators players are naturally concerned about how he’s dealing with the injury and rehabilitation process.
“I feel terrible for him,” said Daniel Alfredsson. “When you’ve been winning for awhile, you take it for granted what he does, what he can accomplish on the ice, and how he opens up ice for other players. He is a unique player in the way he plays and a lot of fun to watch and play with. I just hope he makes the best of this and rehabs and comes back even better.”
Alfredsson knows there will be tough times along the way. “I would be lying if I didn’t say he was frustrated.”
With Karlsson out of the picture until next season, the Senators have to find a way to make up for the loss of his ice time. So, who gets the additional ice time?
“I think the whole group will,” said MacLean. “We’re talking about 30 minutes (per game).”
In addition to the minutes Karlsson plays, Senators goaltender Craig Anderson says there are few players that can match his skills at starting a rush.
“It’s that first pass out of the zone, the opportunity he creates when he gets the puck and the time you don’t spend spend in your zone when he’s there.
I am actually looking forward to seeing how our latest additions to the team are going to play. It seems that they are all pretty big boys & tough as nails. I am certainly not going to be expecting them to win, all things considered, as that would be ludicrous, but having seen them play in equally tough circumstances before, I know that anything can happen. Nobody expected the boys to get into the playoffs last year, let alone take the # 1 seed( rangers) all the way to the 7th game. We definitely have a log row to hoe, without Karlsson , Spezza, Cowen, Michalek & a few others, but we can do it one game at a time. I am really happy to hear that Karlsson had a successful surgery & now is going to fight to get back to where he was one day at a time. To all the boys on injury list… get better soon. we miss you all.
JMO…GO SENS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!