Milan Michalek to return against Devils

Michalek has missed 15 games since undergoing arthroscopic surgery to clean out debris in his right knee on March 19. The 28-year-old forward had been dealing with lingering issues with his knee throughout his knee and had hoped to put off surgery until after the season.

After missing 10 games starting in the middle of February, Michalek was able to return for two games at the start of March. However, he was unable to practice following the set of games and head coach Paul MacLean announced that Michalek had suffered a setback.

Head coach Paul MacLean announced that Michalek had suffered a setback and would be considered day-to-day, which has forced him to miss the last two games, in addition to the two games he is expected to miss this weekend.

The potential concern with this lingering issue is that Michalek already stated he will require knee surgery at the end of the season. Some have wondered if he might require the surgery earlier if these issues continue to keep him out of the lineup.

MacLean described the development as a setback, but also stated that Michalek was sitting due to maintenance. However, the head coach was unaware of whether the forward potentially could miss more time and informally described him as day-to-day.

The potential concern with the injury is that Michalek has already stated that he will need surgery at the conclusion of the season. With the Senators already decimated by injuries, the loss of Michalek would be another devastating blow.