Carter Yakemchuk Fantasy Stats

Ottawa Senators defenseman Carter Yakemchuk (concussion) won't play on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres, Andrew Wilimek of the Senators' official site reports. The 20-year-old had a dream debut in the NHL a week ago against Detroit with a goal and an assist, but he is forced to miss time after landing in concussion protocol. Yakemchuk was hurt in his fourth career game on Tuesday night against Florida. The Senators have recalled Cameron Crotty from the minors to fill the void in the lineup. Crotty will make his team debut and only his third NHL appearance against Buffalo. At the same time, Jordan Spence and Tyler Kleven will get all the minutes they can handle on defense, including power-play time. This makes both players worth a look in fantasy.

Ottawa Senators defenseman Carter Yakemchuk (upper body) didn't finish Tuesday's 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. He joined a growing list of injuries on the Senators' defense after taking a high hit from Panthers forward Noah Gregor in the third period. Gregor received a match penalty for the incident. Ottawa's defense was already missing Jake Sanderson (upper body), Thomas Chabot (forearm), Nick Jensen (knee), and Dennis Gilbert (upper body) on Tuesday. As a result of these absences, Yakemchuk has seen time on the top power-play unit. If Yakemchuk misses additional time, Senators head coach Travis Green will face yet another round of adjustments on an already depleted blue line.