Shocking Update on Senators' Injured D-Man Thomas Chabot

Ottawa Senators defenceman Thomas Chabot

It was only a week and a half ago that the Ottawa Senators got devastating news for their playoff push: Defenseman Thomas Chabot was expected to be out six-to-eight weeks with a broken arm. But in a stunning update on Tuesday, Chabot was there on the ice at practice with the Sens.

Thomas Chabot is at practice for the first time since breaking his forearm.

He’s wearing a yellow non-contact jersey. pic.twitter.com/mobISDfDh2
— Alex Adams (@alexadamsBTP_) April 7, 2026

Sure, he was wearing the yellow non-contact jersey, but his return to the ice is way ahead of schedule, and there's now some kind of hope he could even be back in the lineup in time to help Ottawa try to nail down a playoff spot with just five games to play. The Sens have a slim one-point lead on the NY Islanders (who could get that 'new coach bump' from Pete DeBoer). Just two points back are the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets.

Chabot had his forearm broken on a cross-check from J.T. Miller of the New York Rangers just two weeks ago.

Thomas Chabot had surgery and will be out 6–8 weeks after this cross-check from JT Miller…

There was no penalty called on the play 😬pic.twitter.com/AnSEeMtwPO
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) March 26, 2026

That original timeline would have kept him out for the rest of the year unless the Senators made it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

"Anytime a guy gets out there in a morning skate, you know he's not far off. And hopefully he's back soon," said head coach Travis Green. "It's definitely going to be sooner (than originally expected), whenever it is."

Green says he is hopeful that with Thomas Chabot back on the ice, "that he will be back soon." Said he will definitely be back earlier than this timeline #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) April 7, 2026

"He's one of the toughest players that I've coached or played with when it comes to playing through injuries," Green said. "It's quite amazing to be honest."

Chabot, 29, is in his 10th season with the Sens, and this year was logging 22:34 average ice time per night across 55 games. He had 31 points, 108 blocked shots and a plus/minus rating of +6.