Major injury concerns hit the Ottawa Senators as four defencemen and a forward are banged up

Ottawa's blue line is falling apart at the worst possible time, and Travis Green does not have many answers right now.

The Senators head coach confirmed that four defencemen are dealing with injuries of varying severity heading into a busy stretch of the schedule.

Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, Jordan Spence and Jorian Donovan are all banged up, leaving Ottawa thin on the back end just as the games start to matter.

Losing even one of those four would sting given how much Sanderson and Zub log in a typical night, but having all four compromised at once puts real pressure on the depth pieces waiting for a shot.

Green has not put timelines on any of the injuries, which usually means Ottawa is being cautious rather than facing something catastrophic, but the uncertainty alone is enough to worry fans who watched this same group deal with a rash of ailments not long ago.

Belleville call ups could see extended NHL minutes if any of the four need extra time.

It is not just the defence corps feeling the pinch either.

Warren Foegele is now in question up front, and Green was clear that his winger will sit out tonight against Toronto while his availability for Saturday against Montreal remains up in the air.

Foegele has been a steady, physical presence in Ottawa's bottom six since arriving, and losing him even for a game or two removes an element of grit the lineup leans on.

With four defencemen compromised and a forward now sidelined, Green and his staff will have to lean hard on the players getting the call up over the next several days while everyone else works through recovery.

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