For most of the off-season, the assumption has been that Clarke MacAthur would be on the roster come September/October.

But will he?

As the playoffs ended, highlighted by MacArthur's unexpected return late in the season and contribution to the Senators' playoff run, the winger stated he still had to make a decision about his status for 2017-18.

And now, more than halfway through the summer, there still has been no confirmation either way, at least publicly.

There will always be question marks around him, and most people would have completely understood if he had walked away without attempting the comeback. And I think if he were to make that decision now, that understanding would still be in effect. It can't be an easy decision for him, and his family. One more concussion could be devastating not only to his career but also his life after hockey.

Surely a part of him must feel that he did what he wanted so badly to do, made a triumphant return and now at age 32 could decide to walk away on his own terms, not because an injury forced him to.

However, if he was going to make the decision to hang up the blades, you would think he would have made it by now, to not leave his team hanging in terms of a big hole on the wing and also the $4.65M tied up in his contract for the next 3 years.

So while a confirmation that he is indeed returning would be a sigh of relief, I fully expect MacArthur to be a big part of the lineup and contribute at the 20-23 goal pace he always does, adding some consistency to a lineup that tended to be lacking that while he was out for almost 2 full seasons.

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