J.T. Miller criticized after hit leaves Thomas Chabot injured

The scene at the end of the first period said plenty. Chabot skated off in obvious pain, holding the same right wrist that needed surgery in 2024, and he never came back.

That's where this turns from a bad in-game moment into a much bigger Senators story. Chabot has 7 goals and 24 assists in 54 games, and Ottawa just lost one of its biggest minute-eaters on the blue line.

Green didn't soften the blow after the game. He said Chabot and Lassi Thomson «will both be out for a while,» which is the kind of wording that lands hard in a playoff push.

A doctor added more concern on Tuesday. Dr. Harjas Grewal posted on X that the worry would be a broken wrist, and that if it is broken, the bone healing timeline starts at a minimum of 4 weeks.

That doesn't confirm the diagnosis. But it absolutely raises the temperature around this play, because wrist injuries are no small thing for Chabot given what he already went through last offseason.

Ottawa can survive a short absence from a depth piece. Chabot isn't that. He averages 22:48 per game, and those are top-pair minutes Green can't just replace with one quick lineup shuffle.

Now the spotlight shifts to J.T. Miller and the league office. When a cross-check sends a player off in visible pain and the coach follows it with «out for a while,» people around the league start waiting for the Department of Player Safety to take a look.

That doesn't mean discipline is guaranteed. It does mean Miller is under real pressure, especially with the consequence already looking severe for Ottawa.

Miller is one of the Rangers' biggest names and still logs heavy usage at 20:32 a night. He has 41 points in 56 games, so any league review would land on a player with real profile and real visibility.

For the Senators, this is about more than one game. Chabot is tied directly to puck movement, breakouts, and matchup work against top six forwards, and Ottawa's margin gets thinner fast without him.

Green now has to patch together a defence group while waiting on the full medical picture. If Grewal's concern is anywhere close, this could turn into one of the toughest late-season blows Ottawa has taken.

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