Return of Senators' MacArthur hinges on 'neuro-psych' exam
“I’ve never done this before,” MacArthur told Postmedia before the Senators returned home from their four-game road trip Monday.
“It’s like a full-body (test), where you are doing physical tests, not just a pen and paper (concussion test). I will be active, wearing the workout gear. They will be judging reaction time, testing certain things. That will give me a full-body baseline, instead of just a ‘neuro’ baseline.”
MacArthur, who suffered his fourth concussion in 18 months when hit by Senators prospect Patrick Sieloff in the club’s first intrasquad scrimmage at training camp in September, hasn’t played an NHL game since October, 2015.
But he has made steady improvements in his latest recovery and still has his eyes set on returning to the Senators lineup in January.
MacArthur is typically the first skater on the ice at practice, warming up the goaltenders before full practice begins.
He has advanced from light skating workouts to taking part in all but the most physical drills at practice.
Last week, he went through a mild battle session with defenceman Marc Methot, who has since returned from his own injury.
“We started doing one-on-one battles in the corners, me just getting pushed around, me bumping into him,” said MacArthur. “It’s definitely progressing. It’s definitely improving weekly. Is that because I’m skating hard and in better shape? I don’t know. But things are improving. If they keep going this way, there is no reason to think I wouldn’t be back playing.”
Again, though, the biggest test awaits. Doctors need to be assured that MacArthur has cleared every possible hurdle before giving him the clearance to resume full contact at practice, a necessary step before the team can ponder a potential return to game action.
“If I get through the neuro-psych test and I feel good about that, that will be enough for the doctors, I would think,” he said. “And for me, that will put me in a better place. For me to fully feel better, confident and everything, I’ve got to get hit.”
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is keeping his fingers crossed, but he’s also putting up a caution sign. He doesn’t want anyone to get ahead of themselves before the test results come back.
“We’re all excited about Clarke, we’re talking about him coming back,” said Dorion. “But I think we have to be careful, just because we’re really ramping it up now. There could be a setback. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that he’s 100%, that he’s not put into situations where he can fail.
“We’re not going to do anything without doctors’ clearance.”
MacArthur is full of respect for all the attention he has received from the club’s medical staff, recognizing there are endless concussion protocols to follow. He feels fortunate to have received so much advice and support from Dr. Mark Aubry, one of the world’s foremost authorities on concussion research.
“You have to at least give them a reason to think you can come back and play,” he said. “We’re really fortunate to have (Dr. Aubry). He has been looking after me for the last year and a half. I feel bad. I’ve called him, bugged him, so many times. He has been great for me. If he says he feels confident I can play, I trust him fully.”
Naturally, MacArthur felt a bit helpless, watching from above as the Senators endured a tough road swing. Not playing felt like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
He joked about his current practice routine being akin to serving as “the bullpen catcher”, hoping that one day soon he can play a far bigger role.
“We’ve been on a little bit of a skid here the last couple of games, but that’s part of the ups and downs of the season,” he said.
“You really want to be back in these times. When things are good and you’re winning, you don’t feel the pressure as much. We’re a little thin right now.
“I would love to be out there — win or lose — just to be out there and add a little depth to the lineup.”
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR SENATORS
It might not be exactly a case of home, sweet home as the Senators return to practice at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday morning.
Senators coach Guy Boucher will likely have a colourful word or 2,000 for his players.
Boucher left little doubt about his displeasure following Sunday’s 5-1 loss to Anaheim, which capped a four-game road trip where the Senators won only a single game.
Coupled with Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Los Angeles, the Senators were outscored 9-2 on the weekend. All told, they were outscored 19-11 on the trek.
In the losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles Saturday, the Senators gave up a six pack of power-play goals.
Accordingly, it will be back to the drawing board on a number of fronts as the Senators prepare for Wednesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
“We have to do a little better job of being in lanes, clearing rebounds,” captain Erik Karlsson said of the club’s penalty killing struggles. “Maybe we have to adapt a little bit, change something. It has been a tough couple of games. We need to find a way.”
As bad as the Senators were at killing penalties on the weekend, there were plenty other areas where they struggled, too.
When Anaheim and Los Angeles pushed hard, the Senators didn’t put up enough resistance to withstand the pressure.
“We don’t play them a lot, but they are established teams and they have been for awhile,” said Karlsson.
“We happened to get them on two afternoons in a row and we couldn’t find a way to break through, except for maybe the second period in L.A., where we felt we sustained some kind of pressure.
“(Sunday), I don’t think we spent enough time cycling in their zone and grinding them down.”
Senators centre Derick Brassard, who helped set up Ryan Dzingel for the Senators’ lone goal Sunday, says the team understood it would be a challenging road trip.
“It would have been nice to come back .500,” he said. “When you look back, playing Pittsburgh, playing San Jose, L.A. and Anaheim, those four teams are probably in top 10 in league and all Cup contenders. It’s something we talked about (before Sunday). If we could have got a win, it would have been a really good road trip.”
Instead, the Senators batted only .250.
Now, the challenge is to try and put it all in the rear-view mirror in time to face San Jose Wednesday.
“We’re not going to try and make excuses,” said Brassard. “We’re going to take the loss and get better as a team Wednesday against San Jose.”
“I’ve never done this before,” MacArthur told Postmedia before the Senators returned home from their four-game road trip Monday.
“It’s like a full-body (test), where you are doing physical tests, not just a pen and paper (concussion test). I will be active, wearing the workout gear. They will be judging reaction time, testing certain things. That will give me a full-body baseline, instead of just a ‘neuro’ baseline.”
MacArthur, who suffered his fourth concussion in 18 months when hit by Senators prospect Patrick Sieloff in the club’s first intrasquad scrimmage at training camp in September, hasn’t played an NHL game since October, 2015.
But he has made steady improvements in his latest recovery and still has his eyes set on returning to the Senators lineup in January.
MacArthur is typically the first skater on the ice at practice, warming up the goaltenders before full practice begins.
He has advanced from light skating workouts to taking part in all but the most physical drills at practice.
Last week, he went through a mild battle session with defenceman Marc Methot, who has since returned from his own injury.
“We started doing one-on-one battles in the corners, me just getting pushed around, me bumping into him,” said MacArthur. “It’s definitely progressing. It’s definitely improving weekly. Is that because I’m skating hard and in better shape? I don’t know. But things are improving. If they keep going this way, there is no reason to think I wouldn’t be back playing.”
Again, though, the biggest test awaits. Doctors need to be assured that MacArthur has cleared every possible hurdle before giving him the clearance to resume full contact at practice, a necessary step before the team can ponder a potential return to game action.
“If I get through the neuro-psych test and I feel good about that, that will be enough for the doctors, I would think,” he said. “And for me, that will put me in a better place. For me to fully feel better, confident and everything, I’ve got to get hit.”
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion is keeping his fingers crossed, but he’s also putting up a caution sign. He doesn’t want anyone to get ahead of themselves before the test results come back.
“We’re all excited about Clarke, we’re talking about him coming back,” said Dorion. “But I think we have to be careful, just because we’re really ramping it up now. There could be a setback. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure that he’s 100%, that he’s not put into situations where he can fail.
“We’re not going to do anything without doctors’ clearance.”
MacArthur is full of respect for all the attention he has received from the club’s medical staff, recognizing there are endless concussion protocols to follow. He feels fortunate to have received so much advice and support from Dr. Mark Aubry, one of the world’s foremost authorities on concussion research.
“You have to at least give them a reason to think you can come back and play,” he said. “We’re really fortunate to have (Dr. Aubry). He has been looking after me for the last year and a half. I feel bad. I’ve called him, bugged him, so many times. He has been great for me. If he says he feels confident I can play, I trust him fully.”
Naturally, MacArthur felt a bit helpless, watching from above as the Senators endured a tough road swing. Not playing felt like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
He joked about his current practice routine being akin to serving as “the bullpen catcher”, hoping that one day soon he can play a far bigger role.
“We’ve been on a little bit of a skid here the last couple of games, but that’s part of the ups and downs of the season,” he said.
“You really want to be back in these times. When things are good and you’re winning, you don’t feel the pressure as much. We’re a little thin right now.
“I would love to be out there — win or lose — just to be out there and add a little depth to the lineup.”
BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD FOR SENATORS
It might not be exactly a case of home, sweet home as the Senators return to practice at Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday morning.
Senators coach Guy Boucher will likely have a colourful word or 2,000 for his players.
Boucher left little doubt about his displeasure following Sunday’s 5-1 loss to Anaheim, which capped a four-game road trip where the Senators won only a single game.
Coupled with Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Los Angeles, the Senators were outscored 9-2 on the weekend. All told, they were outscored 19-11 on the trek.
In the losses to Anaheim and Los Angeles Saturday, the Senators gave up a six pack of power-play goals.
Accordingly, it will be back to the drawing board on a number of fronts as the Senators prepare for Wednesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.
“We have to do a little better job of being in lanes, clearing rebounds,” captain Erik Karlsson said of the club’s penalty killing struggles. “Maybe we have to adapt a little bit, change something. It has been a tough couple of games. We need to find a way.”
As bad as the Senators were at killing penalties on the weekend, there were plenty other areas where they struggled, too.
When Anaheim and Los Angeles pushed hard, the Senators didn’t put up enough resistance to withstand the pressure.
“We don’t play them a lot, but they are established teams and they have been for awhile,” said Karlsson.
“We happened to get them on two afternoons in a row and we couldn’t find a way to break through, except for maybe the second period in L.A., where we felt we sustained some kind of pressure.
“(Sunday), I don’t think we spent enough time cycling in their zone and grinding them down.”
Senators centre Derick Brassard, who helped set up Ryan Dzingel for the Senators’ lone goal Sunday, says the team understood it would be a challenging road trip.
“It would have been nice to come back .500,” he said. “When you look back, playing Pittsburgh, playing San Jose, L.A. and Anaheim, those four teams are probably in top 10 in league and all Cup contenders. It’s something we talked about (before Sunday). If we could have got a win, it would have been a really good road trip.”
Instead, the Senators batted only .250.
Now, the challenge is to try and put it all in the rear-view mirror in time to face San Jose Wednesday.
“We’re not going to try and make excuses,” said Brassard. “We’re going to take the loss and get better as a team Wednesday against San Jose.”
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