Unable to play through the injury, Senators forward Milan Michalek had surgery on his knee today. The club is hoping he’ll be back in time for the playoffs.
“We felt if we did this now, it would give him a chance to be back,” Sens head coach Paul MacLean said. “There was some internal discussions for sure. And the best case was this.”
Michalek last played on March 8. The 28-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 15 games this season. He led Ottawa with 35 goals in 2011-12.
Despite injuries to Michalek, forward Jason Spezza, goalie Craig Anderson, and defenseman Erik Karlsson -- arguably the four most important players on the team -- Ottawa (15-8-6) is still very much in the playoff picture.
The Sens play the Islanders tonight in New York.