Ottawa Senators Quebec defenseman Thomas Chabot will play against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, which is great news for this team in deep trouble, but somewhat less so for the general manager.
Interim GM Steve Staios will have to rack his brains to ensure his team stays within the National League’s salary cap before the next game. Chabot disappears from the long-term injured list, meaning his $8 million salary must be factored back into the pool.
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According to Ottawa Sun daily reporter Bruce Garrioch, only one solution seems logical to stay under the $83.5 million cap. The Senators could place the names of forwards Mark Kastelic and Ridly Greig on the long-term absent list retroactive to November 3rd. Since the two athletes must have missed at least 10 games and 24 days of activity, this outcome seems possible and they could therefore return as early as Tuesday.
Greig, who has had a very good start to the season with seven points in nine games, is the one who appears to be the closest to a return to action. He returned to the ice once after recovering from a sprained ankle but will not play this weekend, the Ottawa organization confirmed.
Transaction?
The questions remain for Staios as he must find a way to sign Shane Pinto, whose ban for illegal sports betting ends on January 21. Unless there is an injury to a key player, the general manager and president of hockey operations must complete a transaction.
Chabot trained the second pair of defenders with Artem Zub on Thursday. He was expected to take four to six weeks to heal from his broken hand on October 26 during a game against the New York Islanders.
The Sainte-Marie guard collected three assists in seven games in 2023-2024.