Ottawa Senators’ forward Clarke MacArthur has failed his NHL medical at training camp, just five months after making a long-awaited comeback. The 32-year-old’s career is in limbo once again due to his history of concussions. The winger came back late last season and helped Ottawa reach the
Eastern Conference Final in the playoffs. The failed medical means he won’t be able to participate in training camp and will be on the outside looking in yet again.
MacArthur, who was drafted 74th overall by Buffalo in 2003, has had injury problems since the 2014/15 campaign when his season was cut short due to a concussion. However, he appeared to be healthy when the 2015/16 season faced off and was back in the Ottawa lineup. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long as he was back on the shelf after playing just four games due to suffering more concussions. MacArthur missed 156 games over the last two seasons before returning in April and appearing in four games before the playoffs got underway.
He played well in the postseason with three goals and six assists in 19 games and going plus-5.
Those numbers gave MacArthur a boost of confidence and he was looking forward to continuing his strong play in 2017/18. To make matters worse though, one of his came during last year’s training camp when he was checked hard into the boards by teammate Patrick Sieloff. By the time the playoff races heated up late in January it looked like MacArthur wouldn’t play at all in 2016/17 when general manager Pierre Dorion told the press he was out for the season.
MacArthur didn’t give up though and was back on the ice with his teammates in March when he started practising with the squad. He made it all the way back on April 4th when he was in the lineup against Detroit and received about 10 minutes of ice time. He played out the season and then inspired his teammates during their playoff run. However, it’s obvious something went wrong during the summer months and that has led to his failed medical, after doctors had cleared him to play earlier this year.
There’s a possibility MacArthur may now be forced to retire because of his health issues and he admitted that it’s something he had to think about last year. He said he headed down to Florida to relax, but soon found himself in the gym as he decided on trying a comeback instead. The player is currently signed to a five-year contract which is worth $23.25. If he can’t play, MacArthur will be placed on Ottawa’s long-term injury list and his salary will come off of the cap.
Known as a solid two-way player, MacArthur would be missed by the Senators and their fans, but they’ve basically gotten by without him for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, they’ve become used to playing with their teammate watching from the stands. If MacArthur does decide to hang up his skates he will have played in 552 games starting in the 2006/07 season. He played with Buffalo, Atlanta, Toronto and Ottawa and racked up 133 goals and 171 assists for 304 points with 343 minutes in penalties. He also added seven goals and seven assists in 30 playoff contests with Toronto and Ottawa.