The Ottawa Senators received some bad news Sunday when they learned that they would be without defenceman Filip Kuba for up to six weeks, after the Czech blueliner broke his right leg at practice on Saturday.
"We're really disappointed for Filip," said Senators GM Bryan Murray. "He looked great in the couple days I came over and watched him skate. And I know he's really frustrated that would happen."
The good news for the Sens is that surgery is not required at this time.
The injury occurred when Kuba's skate hit a rut in the ice. He was taken to hospital for x-rays which determined that he had in fact suffered a broken leg.
The timing is certainly unfortunate for Kuba as he believed that he had fully recovered from off-season back surgery that caused him to miss the final 11 games of the season and all six of the Senators playoff contests.
"It's...disappointing for a veteran player that had prepared himself to come back after surgery and then for this to happen," said Murray. "I guess if it's going to happen it's better to happen early."
He finished last season with three goals and 25 assists in 53 games.
The loss of Kuba allows the Senators to take a longer look at some of their younger blueline prospects in camp.
"It's an opportunity," admitted Chris Campoli. "We're deep on the blueline and there are guys out there with something to prove. We've got to fill the void and there are opportunities for guys to make the team that maybe would have had a tough time because of the numbers. I'd expect nothing other than real competitive battles and guys being ready to play."
The player who might benefit the most is Brian Lee, who spent the majority of last season in Binghamton after a decent rookie year in 2008-09. Also reportedly in the mix are rookies Jared Cowen and Patrick Wiercioch.
