William Eklund needed help getting off the ice tonight after a collision with Simon Benoit, and the Senators could be in for bad news.
The clip shows Benoit, No. 44, driving through along the boards as Eklund, No. 27, goes down and ends up crumpled against the wall.
Gino Hard described the Senators forward as being in a ton of pain on his way off.
Dr. Harjas Grewal said the concern would be an ankle fracture, pointing to Quinton Byfield breaking his ankle on a similar play.
Treatment could mean a boot or potentially surgery, according to Grewal, with timelines ranging from 4 to 12-plus weeks depending on the bones involved.
That's a concern, not a diagnosis. But nobody in Ottawa wants to hear the word fracture on the night of the home opener.
It's like hearing a mechanic say transmission before he's even opened the hood. Maybe it's nothing, but your stomach drops anyway.
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A nightmare injury scenario is unfolding for William Eklund and Ottawa
Eklund came into tonight with a goal and an assist, one of them a power-play helper.
The 23-year-old carries a $5,600,000 cap hit. Losing him for any real stretch would leave a hole the Senators never planned for.
Benoit, on a $1,350,000 deal, came in without a point and sitting at a -1 rating.
Does the league take a second look, or does it go down as a hockey play with an ugly ending?
Add it to a strange night in Ottawa that already featured an uncalled high play on Owen Tippett and Noel Acciari going into an open bench door.
Ottawa came in at 2-1-0, with Tim Stutzle leading the way on 6 points.
If Eklund misses time, more of the scoring load shifts to Drake Batherson and Mike Amadio, who have 2 goals apiece.
The Flyers, meanwhile, arrived still searching for their first win of the season.
Nashville visits Saturday, and the Senators head to New Jersey on Monday.
Andrew Campbell will want an answer before then. The real question is whether this one gets measured in days or months.
Should the NHL review Simon Benoit's check on William Eklund?
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