Spezza still far from ready: Maclean

Top centre not skating properly yet, coach says

While the return of Erik Karlsson is exhilarating for Senators fans, there is no imminent appearance of centre Jason Spezza.

Back injuries and back surgeries are tricky, and the hockey club does not foresee Spezza being a part of the playoff picture any time soon. The Senators’ top centre had back surgery Feb. 1.

“I think he’s been skating, but he’s at the public skating stage still,” said Senators head coach Paul MacLean. He said he didn’t consider the skating sessions significant beyond the fact they are another step in the process of recovering from surgery.

MacLean said it’s important to keep in mind that when defencemen Jared Cowen and Erik Karlsson returned to the ice, they spent “significant time” skating with assistant coach Jason Smith and skating coach Marc Power before rejoining regular team practices.

“So they were ready to step in and practice,” MacLean said.

“He (Spezza) is not even close to that, to joining the team.”

With a playoff berth assured, MacLean wants to play the final two games this way — try to win, but not at the expense of players who may need rest or are dealing with minor injuries.

“Anything nagging, we won’t play them,” MacLean said. “At the same time, we’d like to finish strongly and as high as we can.”

Avoiding a first-round matchup with Pittsburgh is not a consideration, MacLean said.

“We finished eighth last year, so six or seven is an improvement,” MacLean said.

It looks as though the Senators will dress a full complement of starters to face the Flyers here Saturday, but may rest some regulars, including goaltender Craig Anderson in Boston Sunday. Anderson starts against the Flyers. Backup Robin Lehner’s last start was April 11, a 3-1 win in Philadelphia.

The coach said he would like to get some ice time for players like Andre Benoit, Patrick Wiercioch, Peter Regin and Jim O’Brien, who have not played much recently.

The expectation is that captain Daniel Alfredsson and the returning Erik Karlsson will sit out Sunday’s game, but the lineup won’t be confirmed until after the Philly game.

While the playoff experience of Regin will be considered, MacLean likes the effort and steady play of rookie J.G. Pageau, as a role forward.

“Pageau has come in and been a very consistent player for us,” MacLean said. “The best players play.”