It was reported Saturday that Ottawa Senators forward Mathieu Joseph will miss time with a lower-body injury. He is currently listed as day-to-day. The injury occurred during Friday’s game, a 5-4 loss against the Dallas Stars. As a result, with Elliotte Friedman reporting, the Senators have made a roster move. They have decided to call up forward Angus Crookshank. It is anticipated that he will play in Sunday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Furthermore, if Crookshank indeed draws into the lineup, it will be his big league debut with the Ottawa Senators. Will he provide the magic to the Sens lineup they desire? The Sens are currently dead-last in the Atlantic Division.
Saturday Headlines/32 — Guerin/Christmas freeze/goalies/Olympics/Joseph & Crookshank:https://t.co/RuqEoUSUhc
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 17, 2023
Mathieu Joseph Injury News and Ottawa Senators Notes
These are all considered minor roster moves ultimately. It is still unclear whether or not Vladimir Tarasenko will rejoin the club for Sunday’s game. He was reported as having to attend to family matters. Hence, the prospective debut of Crookshank makes sense. Also, the club called up Jiri Smejkal from the Belleville Senators. Smejkal has seen limited action for Ottawa, playing in just two games, and having failed to record a point in each of those.
For Mathieu Joseph, the injury hurts in more ways than one. First of all, it hurts the team, as Joseph’s speed driving wide and hard work is a big asset. Ottawa misses his depth presence when he is not in the lineup. Also, let’s be honest here, he is just plain ripping it up. Last year he had three goals (none of which at even strength) and 15 assists. In contrast, in 2023-24, through 25 games played, he is already up to 19 points, including six goals. Let’s hope his injury doesn’t keep him out of the lineup for any significant amount of time. Ottawa needs all the help they can get, and his depth scoring is just what the doctor ordered at times.
An Opportunity Crookshank Has Been Seeking
Moving on to the man looking to make his NHL debut, Angus Crookshank. Crookshank is a product of the American university Canadian breeding ground, the BCHL. In 2022-23 he was very successful for the Belleville Senators tallying 26 goals and 21 assists in 71 games played. From training camp, he is a bit of a crowd favourite, and people root for him to make the club. This regular season he has been even more impressive. He has 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in just 24 games. Moreover, he is one of the offensive leaders of the Belleville squad. He and the club will be looking forward to a big showing from the fan favourite. There is some question of the 24-year-old’s size, clocking in at 5’10” and 181 lbs. However, he can use his effort and shot, to fly under the radar in the offensive zone. His abilities are best exemplified by his impressive production, at the AHL level.
There we have it for the Senators. Rather it is for necessity, or otherwise, the Senators will have some turnover in their forward group Sunday against Vegas. It is further speculated that Rourke Chartier has an ailment that may keep him out of the lineup. This means that the Sens will have some lineup juggling to do. Really at this point, it just depends on how late the final roster becomes set. Either way, they are desperate for some positive consistency. Blowing the lead against the Stars, and without Jake Oettinger, as he was injured left people in shock seemingly. It will be interesting to see if and when the Sens can buckle down. Otherwise, it might just mean they miss next year.
Main photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
