When Clarke MacArthur rejoined the Ottawa line up in early-April, it came as a huge surprise.
MacArthur’s struggle to return to the ice after more than two years on the sidelines had been well-documented and when his comeback attempt was derailed in January, the prospect of an early retirement suddenly seemed like a very real possibility. Yet behind the scenes, MacArthur continued to train and continued to skate, all with the hope of playing sooner than anyone realized.
His unexpected return with four games left in the 2016/2017 regular season gave the team a huge boost heading into the playoffs.
And while expectations were relatively low for MacArthur after more than two years out of action, he was able to have an immediate impact.
His goal in Game 2 against the Bruins is one of the most memorable in the history of the Canadian Tire Centre and itt may have been his second biggest goal of the playoffs as in Game 6, his overtime winner eliminated Boston and sent Ottawa to Round 2.
MacArthur finished the playoffs with 9 points in 19 games and was a key cog in Ottawa’s lengthy playoff run.
And now, with the new season a couple months away, there seems to be some lingering doubt when it comes to his plans for next year. Speaking to the media on July 21st, Dorion suggested they expect MacArthur back but the wording of his answer seemed to indicate there was some uncertainty over his status. As though they were still waiting for official word from MacArthur.
GM Dorion on MacArthur’s status: We hope Clarke comes back. Indications are along that way, but if he chooses not to, we’ll respect that.
— Murray Pam (@Pammerhockey) July 21, 2017
During his season-ending remarks, MacArthur made it clear he was going to take some time this off-season before deciding his plans for the future. MacArthur suffered a neck injury during the Rangers series and it seemed to bother him a little bit the rest of the way.
The Senators clearly expect to have MacArthur back.
Comments from the GM combined with the fact that they didn’t go out and try to add another LW option in free agency are a pretty good indication that they are counting on him being there.
Adding MacArthur significantly improved Ottawa’s forward depth in the post-season and gave the team another legitimate LW option in the team’s top six forwards. He was regularly over the 15 minute mark during the post-season, and he took a regular shift on the team’s power play.
Over the course of a full season, MacArthur certainly has 20 goal potential and in his first year in Ottawa, he put up an impressive 24 goals and 55 points.
Adding that kind of production would be huge for an Ottawa team that struggled to score goals at times last year.
What do you expect from Clarke MacArthur next year?
