Artem Zub's Lingering Knee Injury Leaves Senators Scrambling Before Opening Night

Getting injured in April and still missing opening night in October is the kind of timeline that makes you wonder if the medical staff is using WebMD. But that is exactly where the Ottawa Senators find themselves, as Daily Faceoff reports defenseman Artem Zub is expected to miss the start of the regular season with a lingering knee injury.

Zub originally went down in Game 1 of Ottawa's first-round playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes. Instead of opting for surgery, he spent the entire summer rehabbing, which has apparently resulted in him watching training camp from the sidelines while the rest of the roster gets up to speed.

This is a brutal break for a guy who finally proved he could stay on the ice. After battling injuries for years, the 30-year-old played 81 games last season, logging a career-high 30 points and eating up nearly 21 minutes of ice time a night.

You do not just easily replace a guy who blocks 120 shots and anchors your top four. Zub is in the middle of a four-year, $18.4 million contract for a reason, and his absence forces head coach Travis Green to immediately start shuffling his defensive pairings before the games even count.

Missing a reliable, stay-at-home defenseman shifts the entire defensive structure for Ottawa. That is the kind of roster hole that makes oddsmakers adjust their totals, especially when you look at who is waiting on the schedule.

The Senators open their season on October 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Trying to shut down that kind of offensive firepower while missing your most physical defenseman is a recipe for a very long opening night.