Senators winger Tyler Ennis out for the season after taking hard hit

Ottawa Senators winger Tyler Ennis is out for the rest of the season, per Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun. This comes after Ennis was forced out of Sunday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings after taking a hard hit along the boards. The Senators are 27th in the NHL with a 25-37-6 record and are playing for pride more than anything else this season, so losing Ennis is not a major issue for the team, but it is an unfortunate development for a squad that values everything he brings on and off the ice.

Ennis, 32, was in the middle of playing his 700th career game before a hard hit forced him out of the game and has now ultimately ended his season. This season has been Ennis’ second tour of duty with the Senators, as he first played for them in the 2019-20 season. He scored 14 goals and 33 points in 61 games before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a 2021 fifth-round pick. Ennis signed a one-year $900k deal with the Senators this offseason and has been a solid veteran in a younger lineup while also providing secondary scoring. Ennis has eight goals and 24 points in 57 games this season, which is a 12-goal, 35-point pace — production that is solid given his cap hit.

Ennis may never have reached the potential he flashed as a 20-goal scorer earlier in his career when he was a Buffalo Sabre, but he has settled into his role nicely as he’s aged. The Senators are sure to miss him as one of the veterans in their lineup, but his absence could pave the way for the team to get a look at a younger player in his spot in the lineup down the stretch. This season-ending injury is unlikely to be welcomed by Ennis within the context of his pending unrestricted free agency, as it could affect the offseason market for his services. But that being said, regardless of the injury, there is always a market for the veteran, affordable secondary scoring Ennis provides.