Senators Quick Hits: Foegele, Zub, Sanderson & Spence

The Ottawa Senators have a couple of preseason games left before things get serious, and Wednesday brought a little bit of everything on the injury front. Four Ottawa players are dealing with different issues. Warren Foegele isn't ready to return yet, Artem Zub looks likely to miss the season opener, Jake Sanderson is taking a precautionary day, and Jordan Spence has picked up a minor injury.

So, nothing here screams disaster. But with the regular season getting very close, it's certainly worth keeping an eye on who's on the ice and who isn't.

Quick Hit One: Warren Foegele is still dealing with an injury.

Warren Foegele won't play in either of Ottawa's split-squad games against Toronto on Wednesday as he continues to deal with an undisclosed injury.

Foegele has been out for at least a week, and head coach Travis Green isn't yet sure whether he'll be ready for Saturday's preseason games against Montreal. The good news is that Foegele appears to be moving in the right direction, with the Senators' season opener against Toronto still more than a week away. For now, this looks more like Ottawa not rushing him back.

Quick Hit Two: Artem Zub’s knee injury will keep him out for now.

Artem Zub’s injury is a bit more concerning. The defenceman isn't expected to be ready for Ottawa's season opener in Toronto on Oct. 3 as he continues to recover from a knee injury. Zub has been out since April 18 and also missed Ottawa's final three playoff games because of the injury.

That's a pretty long time away from game action. Zub had five goals and 30 points in 81 games last season, along with 66 hits and 120 blocked shots. The Senators won't replace all of that with one player. The big question now is how long he'll actually be out.

Quick Hit Three: Jake Sanderson is injured, but should be ready for the regular season.

Jake Sanderson missed Wednesday's action because of what the team is calling a minor undisclosed issue. The interesting part is that Travis Green wasn't even willing to call it an injury. That's probably good news for Senators fans, especially with Sanderson not expected to miss the start of the regular season.

Ottawa simply won’t need to push one of its most important defencemen in a split-squad preseason game. Sometimes the smartest thing a player can do in September is stay off the ice.

Quick Hit Four: Jordan Spence won’t play against Toronto.

Jordan Spence is also dealing with a minor injury and won't play against Toronto on Wednesday. Spence had a pretty productive first season in Ottawa, playing 73 games and setting career highs with seven goals and 31 points. He also averaged a career-high 18:44 of ice time.

The good news is that there doesn't appear to be much concern about his availability for the Oct. 3 opener. For now, this sounds like another case of Ottawa taking the cautious route.

What's Next for the Senators?

The Senators have Saturday's split-squad games against Montreal left on the preseason schedule, and that will give us a better idea of where these four players stand. Zub is the one to watch most closely because he's already unlikely to be ready for the opener. For Foegele, Sanderson and Spence, the picture looks considerably less concerning.

Still, Ottawa is getting close to the real thing. At this point, nobody needs to win a preseason game badly enough to risk making a small problem into a big one.