It was widely known that Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson was playing with two hairline fractures in his left heel, but during Ottawa's end-of-season press conference, general manager Pierre Dorion said Karlsson was playing with muscle damage in his ankle in addition to the foot issue, according to TSN's Ian Mendes.
This makes it even more remarkable that Karlsson played as well as he did during the postseason. In 19 games, he recorded two goals and 16 assists with a plus-13 rating while averaging over 28 minutes per night.
While Karlsson was certainly Ottawa's best player during their postseason, their second best player, goaltender Craig Anderson, was also battling injuries of his own. Dorion said Anderson's back was in "terrible shape" during the second round against the Rangers, per Mendes.
Karlsson and Anderson weren't the only two to be battling injuries, though. Dorion announced the following injuries at the presser:
| Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Borowiecki | D | high ankle sprain |
| Alex Burrows | F | high ankle sprain |
| Cody Ceci | D | finger broken several times |
| Zack Smith | F | abdominal |
| Dion Phaneuf | D | wrist |
| Viktor Stalberg | F | abdominal |
| Chris Neil | F | sprained hand |
| Tom Pyatt | F | ankle |
| Derick Brassard | F | shoulder |
| Fredrik Claesson | D | back |
| Marc Methot | D | finger |
| Mark Stone | F | leg |
| Ryan Dzingel | F | wrist |
| Clarke MacArthur | F | neck |
The toughness of hockey players should never be brought into question.
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