BY IAN MENDES
sportsnet.ca

Ottawa Senators defenseman Filip Kuba has a broken right leg and will be sidelined for at least six weeks.

The injury occurred just 10 minutes into the team's first practice session of training camp Saturday when Kuba caught his skate in a rut.

The fracture appears to be clean - meaning surgery should not be required.

"We're real disappointed for Filip, he looked really great," said Senators general manager Bryan Murray. "I know he's frustrated that this happened. The coaches told me he was very, very down after it happened. In a day or two, he'll be a little more positive. He'll go through the therapy and get ready to play again."

The injury to Kuba will cause head coach Cory Clouston to shuffle his defensive pairings.

Initially, Kuba was to be paired with Erik Karlsson, while Sergei Gonchar and Chris Phillips were going to be partners. However, the injury to Kuba means that Karlsson will now likely start the season with Phillips. Gonchar will find himself a new partner - with Chris Campoli and Brian Lee having the inside track on that spot.

However, rookies Jared Cowen, Patrick Weircoch and Eric Gryba could also push for an NHL job in camp, now that there is one less defenseman.

"It does open the door for one of the kids to get more ice-time in the pre-season," said Murray. "Somebody will hopefully emerge and be a good player for us."

Kuba missed 29 games last season due to groin and back injuries. He underwent surgery to repair a disc in his back five months ago, causing him to miss the club's first-round playoff loss to Pittsburgh.