The Ottawa Senators announced Saturday morning that forward Zack Smith suffered a dislocated thumb, which will keep him out for at least three weeks. Smith suffered the injury in Friday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche in Sweden.

#Sens coach Boucher confirms that Zack Smith suffered a dislocated left thumb on Friday and that he will miss approximately three weeks.

— Sens communications (@Media_Sens) November 11, 2017

Zack Smith Sidelined Three Weeks With Dislocated Thumb

Smith currently sits with six assists in 12 games played for the Ottawa Senators. He found himself on the wing with newly acquired Senators forward Matt Duchene on Friday. The injury comes at a costly time. The Senators are already missing Bobby Ryan from their top-six after suffering a broken finger in October. With Duchene on his line, Smith was looking forward to having a center who he could build off of. All of Smith’s six points are assists, leaving him goalless to start the new season.

Zack Smith is coming off a 32 point season in 2016-17. He scored 16 goals while also adding 16 assistsn. Smith had a career year in the 2015-16 season. The forward scored 25 goals that year, a career high. With this injury, he will have to wait awhile until he can return to action in hopes of scoring his first of the year.

Value of Zack Smith to the Ottawa Senators

Although some people might argue the fact that Smith is not a top-six forward, the Sens coaching staff disagrees. They like Smith’s play on the ice. He is asked to be a sparkplug and provide energy when things aren’t going the team’s way. While Smith usually plays top-nine minutes, when the Senators have a healthy roster, he is a serviceable player to move up the lineup when injuries hit. Smith can play the wing and center, and that versatility will be missed by the club.

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