The elephant that was hanging over the summer of the Senators was finally addressed at the team physicals, and the news wasn't good. Clarke MacArthur, author of an inspiring comeback late in the season after missing most of 2 calendar years, failed his physical and his career is once again in doubt.
As much as that fact must be devastating for the player himself, and he must take into account his future once again, and if being on the ice is something that he still wants to pursue, it opens up a spot for grabs on the roster.
The Senators did little to address the potential for this to happen, at least from the outside, and they will be looking internally to fill the spot, barring a late addition of a veteran (hello, Jaromir Jagr?) to be a stop-gap measure up front.
Combine that with the fact that Derick Brassard won't be ready to start the season, there will be an opportunity for someone that might not have existed before.
So far, I would say that there are 11 forwards who have roster spots pretty much assured - Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Bobby Ryan, Zach Smith, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tom Pyatt, Ryan Dzingel, Alex Burrows, Nate Thompson and Colin White. With Brassard out, White could be given the role of 2/3 centre, at least in his absence, however long that may be. It will be a good audition for White, and allow the Senators to determine if he needs some AHL seasoning or if he is ready for the NHL full time.
So that leaves 1 spot in the lineup, which could be split between a couple of players. The competiton is on, and there are a number of players who will be angling for the spots - Logan Brown, Max McCormick, Nick Paul, Chris DiDomenico, Francis Perron, Filip Chlapik and Mike Blunden are all names that should be in the mix to fill the role at least in the short term.
Training camp is all about someone stepping up and taking the spot, so that could be the most interesting part of camp, which essentially begins today with the first on-ice workouts.