The Ottawa Senators announced that forward Nick Paul is sidelined for at least two weeks with a lower-body injury.
Nick Paul out two weeks at least with ankle or leg injury. #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) January 8, 2020
Nick Paul Injured
Nick Paul was injured in a play against the Washington Capitals when he tried to complete a hit, but instead went into the boards and injured either his leg or ankle and was then helped off the ice.
So far this season, Paul has scored 6 goals and 7 assists for 13 points to go along with 15 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 44.4 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of -3.7.
Over his 5-year NHL career, Nick Paul has exclusively played for the Ottawa Senators. He has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 career points in 94 career games. He was originally drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 4th round, 101st overall in the 2013 NHL draft.
What This Means for the Future
Paul is currently on an expiring deal, making this a contract year for him. As a player that has never played a full season in the NHL, Paul would have been looking for this year as a reason to make more than league minimum on his next contract. With 13 points so far, it hasn’t been impressive offensively for him. This is still significantly higher than any other season for him, however. As a player that has gotten primarily defensive zone starts, Paul hasn’t been put in a situation to generate offence either.
This injury could hurt his stance on negotiating a new contract. This gives some of Ottawa’s youth they have in the AHL an opportunity to play their way into the lineup and have Paul potentially lose out. While he is still just 24, since Paul hasn’t been able to complete a season yet. It seems he would be a player at risk at losing their roster spot.
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