Ottawa Senators' forward Clarke MacArthur has failed his NHL
medical at training camp, just five months after making a long-awaited
comeback. The 32-year-old's career is in limbo once again due to his history of
concussions. The winger came back late last season and helped Ottawa reach the
Eastern Conference Final in the playoffs. The failed medical
means he won't be able to participate in training camp and will be on the
outside looking in yet again.
MacArthur, who was drafted 74th overall by
Buffalo in 2003, has had injury problems since the 2014/15 campaign when his
season was cut short due to a concussion. However, he appeared to be healthy
when the 2015/16 season faced off and was back in the Ottawa lineup.
Unfortunately, he didn't last long as he was back on the shelf after playing
just four games due to suffering more concussions. MacArthur missed 156 games
over the last two seasons before returning in April and appearing in four games
before the playoffs got underway.
He played well in the postseason with three goals and six
assists in 19 games and going plus-5.
Those numbers gave MacArthur a boost of confidence and he
was looking forward to continuing his strong play in 2017/18. To make matters
worse though, one of his came during last year's training camp when he was
checked hard into the boards by teammate Patrick Sieloff. By the time the
playoff races heated up late in January it looked like MacArthur wouldn't play
at all in 2016/17 when general manager Pierre Dorion told the press he was out
for the season.
MacArthur didn't give up though and was back on the ice with
his teammates in March when he started practising with the squad. He made it
all the way back on April 4th when he was in the lineup against
Detroit and received about 10 minutes of ice time. He played out the season and
then inspired his teammates during their playoff run. However, it's obvious
something went wrong during the summer months and that has led to his failed
medical, after doctors had cleared him to play earlier this year.
There's a possibility MacArthur may now be forced to retire
because of his health issues and he admitted that it's something he had to
think about last year. He said he headed down to Florida to relax, but soon
found himself in the gym as he decided on trying a comeback instead. The player
is currently signed to a five-year contract which is worth $23.25. If he can't
play, MacArthur will be placed on Ottawa's long-term injury list and his salary
will come off of the cap.
Known as a solid two-way player, MacArthur would be missed
by the Senators and their fans, but they've basically gotten by without him for
the past two seasons. Unfortunately, they've become used to playing with their
teammate watching from the stands. If MacArthur does decide to hang up his
skates he will have played in 552 games starting in the 2006/07 season. He
played with Buffalo, Atlanta, Toronto and Ottawa and racked up 133 goals and
171 assists for 304 points with 343 minutes in penalties. He also added seven
goals and seven assists in 30 playoff contests with Toronto and Ottawa.
Labels: Ian Palmer