It sounded like Clarke MacArthur was making significant progress from the concussion he suffered during training camp, but on Friday morning, Senators GM Pierre Dorion announced that MacArthur’s season was over.
The news isn’t surprising given the Sens forward’s history with concussions (it’s believed he suffered four different concussions during an 18-month span), but the fact that he had been cleared for contact in December led people to believe there was a chance he could come back.
According to the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, Dorion said MacArthur is “devastated” by today’s news.
It certainly seems like the Senators are doing the right thing by shutting him down. The 31-year-old also missed all but four games in 2015-16 because of a head injury.
As of last September, MacArthur said he didn’t plan on hanging up his skates.
Dorion said he’s trying to acquire another forward via trade to replace him, but with limited teams willing to be sellers, the prices are extremely high.
"The asking prices are ridiculous, almost," says Dorion. #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) January 20, 2017
In other Sens news...
Dorion told members of the media that goalie Craig Anderson will return to Ottawa’s crease in late January or early February.
Anderson has been with his wife, Nicholle, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2016.