Perhaps Bryan Murray only needs to look inside his own dressing room to find depth at the trade deadline.
With just seven days to go until next Wednesday’s deadline, the Ottawa Senators received some very encouraging news on the injury front, as both Jared Cowen and Craig Anderson took significant steps in their recovery.
And as a result, Paul MacLean thinks that may ease a lot of the pressure on his general manager heading into next week.
“I’m not sure we can make a trade before the deadline that would give us better players than what we have on (injured reserve) right now,” said MacLean. “So if we get them all healthy, we really don’t have to do anything.”
In a surprising turn of events, Cowen was on the ice with teammates Wednesday for the first time since undergoing hip surgery in the fall.
He suffered the injury in October while playing with the Binghamton Senators during the NHL lockout and subsequently had surgery a couple of weeks later. At the time of the procedure, the club announced Cowen would miss the entire 2012-13 regular season — but clearly the prognosis has changed.
“I have progressed at a good rate and I’m way ahead of schedule on rehab,” Cowen said after skating with teammates Wednesday. “For me, there’s a goal (to play) — but at the same time, I’m preparing not to play. So I can’t be surprised either way.”
Cowen had been skating on his own for the past several weeks and says the possibility of playing this season entered his mind after he met with the surgeon for his three-month post-op appointment.
“There wasn’t exactly one particular moment, but from the time they told me I wasn’t going to play this year, I kind of always had in the back of my mind, ‘Screw that — I want to play.’ So far, everything has gone really well and there hasn’t been a hitch yet,” Cowen added.
There is no firm timetable for Cowen to return, as MacLean cautioned against any comeback in the immediate future. “He’s a young man and he likes to play — but he still needs to follow the process.”
But the defenceman indicated he would accompany the team on its upcoming seven-game road trip that starts Tuesday in Boston.
He will likely practice with the team during that trip and a return to the lineup at some point before the regular season concludes in April now seems possible.
The 22-year-old Cowen appeared in all 82 games for the Senators in his rookie campaign last year and was expected to play a significant role on the team before his injury.
As for Anderson, the netminder participated in the club’s full practice Wednesday and looked to have no issues with his injured right ankle.
He will not start on Thursday against the New York Rangers — MacLean announced Bishop will get the nod — but Anderson did not rule out the possibility of starting Saturday’s home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I feel really good. The last few days, I’ve come a really long way,” Anderson said. “I want to make sure I’m comfortable and give the team the best chance to win the hockey game. So until I get that rhythm back by practicing a few times, it’s hard to say.”
Anderson was leading the NHL in most statistical categories for goaltenders when he suffered a sprained right ankle against the New York Rangers on Feb. 21. At this point, all signs point to Anderson accompanying the Senators on their extended road trip next week.
As for Jason Spezza, his status remains a little more unclear at this point. The centre underwent back surgery on Feb. 1 and was expected to miss two months of action in the best-case scenario.
MacLean did not have a new update on Spezza Wednesday, but the club had been hoping he could return to action by early April. If he is able to join the team on the road trip, that would be viewed as a sign of significant progress.
Milan Michalek — who led the club in goals last season with 35 –underwent arthoscopic surgery on his right knee in New York last week and is expected to return to the lineup before the end of the regular season if his rehabilitation goes as planned. E
Erik Karlsson spoke to reporters this week and essentially ruled out a return to the lineup this season, as he recovers from the lacerated achilles tendon he suffered on Feb. 13.