Filip Kuba had barely been back on the ice when his skate caught in a rut and the ice. Snap went the leg and gone was Kuba once again. The man has to be asking himself if he isn't somehow jinxed.



Kuba's absence for the next several weeks means some serious re-jigging on the blue line. Anchoring the D-men will be Chris Phillips and Sergei Gonchar. We can expect to also see Erik Karlsson and Matt Carkner as part of the regular rotation. Add Chris Campoli to the mix and it still leaves you with a hole in the line-up, one that will liekly be filled by Brian Lee.

Let's take a look at the possible pairings. Gonchar is an offensive powerhouse. He is an able defenceman, and is one of those players that can make his partner seem better than he really is. Chris Phillips is solid on the back end, and an experienced blueliner as well. But that's where it starts getting a little thin. Both Campoli and Karlsson are D-men whose role is to bring the puck up ice, they are nowhere near brilliant in the defensive zone. Lee is an able defenceman, but not as physical as he needs to be or as able at the defensive coverage as the Sens need against top drawer teams. Carkner has the weight to throw around, but is not the most inventive player around.

Whatever pairings you make from these six, you wind up with at least one weak defensive line. And that means more pucks on the net. Both Pascal Leclaire and Brian Elliott will need to be sharp. One remote possibility is that training camp shows that one of the newbies is ready for the Bigs. Doubtful, but as a fan, one can pray... No?