In hockey, players know that there are risks associated with simply playing the sport. Putting blades on your feet and skating around at 20+ miles per hour on ice puts players, even professionals in a dangerous position.
Today, during the Ottawa Senators' practice, 2018 first-round pick Jacob Bernard-Docker went hard into the boards and will probably be out long-term with an injury.
Given how Bernard-Docker was unable to put any weight on his leg, he likely broke it. There has yet to be an official update from the Senators but we can be certain that they are looking at Bernard-Docker to get a timeline for his return.
Through 129 career NHL games, the Alberta native, Bernard-Docker, has scored five goals and notched on 15 more assists for a total 20 points. He has played in parts of five NHL seasons, all with the Senators, and registered a career-high 72 games last year.
This year, Bernard-Docker has played in most of the Senators' games, 25 games total, while also averaging a career-low in time on ice with just 13:06 as a defenseman. However, despite these limited minutes, Bernard-Docker is currently 3rd among Senators defensemen in plus/minus as a +2.
We will now wait until the Senators share an update on Bernard-Docker's health and hopefully he can return to action before the end of the year but if the injury takes more than four months to heal, it is unlikely that he will return this season.