Nick Jensen didn’t have any date circled on his calendar.
The Ottawa Senators veteran defenceman had chosen to take his road to recovery from an invasive hip surgery on May 19th, one day at a time, and now he’s finally taken the next step.
Just over four months ago, after Jensen had the procedure in New York City, nobody would have predicted that on Saturday night, he’d suit up in the Ottawa Senators’ final game of the pre-season against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre.
But there he was when the puck was dropped against the Habs on one of the National Hockey League’s biggest stages in the last tune-up before the Senators open the regular season against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night on the road.
“It’s exciting,” Jensen said. “The timing of everything has been ideal. I got the whole summer to train and recover, knowing I get the summer to do that anyway, I just had to make sure I put the extra time in to work on hip rehab.
“Going through all that and not really missing much time is important to me mentally. I’m hitting the ground running here instead of trying to join the game at mid-season.”
Jensen told Postmedia during camp that part of the procedure he had included a surgeon in New York City, placing a metal plate in his hip to completely replace the cartilage. Jensen had spent time playing through a bone-on-bone situation in the second half of last season.
It’s the same hip resurfacing surgery that Detroit Red Wings winger Patrick Kane underwent in June 2023 to extend his career. He signed a one-year deal with the Wings on Nov. 28, 2023 and is still playing.
No timeline was given when the 35-year-old Jensen had the surgery. The best-case scenario was four-to-six months. Everybody is different, and his return is a credit to his hard work. This return is a bit of a medical miracle.
“It’s gone really well,” Jensen said. “I hit a point at the beginning of September when I was starting to gear things up. When I got here, having the ice every day, that workout every day, that helped me take leaps and bounds in the recovery process.
“I had noticed some things that hindered me from taking the next step quickly disappeared. It’s been pretty good.”
There were setbacks along the way. He tried skating for the first time in July, but it didn’t go well, and then, after consultation with the club’s doctors, he didn’t get back on the ice for another month.
“I’ve almost had those limitations pushed where I could,” said Jensen. “I’ve tweaked it a few times where I’ve overextended.
“Those are the points that I pushed to where I know it’s not going to continue to hurt after that. It’s just the body lets you know, like, that’s too far. I have hit those limitations and come back from them, so that’s a good sign.”
Acquired from the Washington Capitals in July 2024 in a deal that sent Jakob Chychrun back in return, Jensen was a key addition. He played 71 games and was a strong partner for defenceman Thomas Chabot.
It’s great that he’s going to get into a game.
Travis Green
Jensen, a strong skater, finished with three goals and 21 points in 71 games with the Senators. He averaged 20 minutes and 13 seconds in ice time a night, which is impressive, especially when he eventually had to have such major surgery.
He did everything he could during the year to be part of the Senators’ ride to the playoffs. He worked with the club’s doctors and highly respected training staff to make sure that he was able to go every night down the stretch and into the post-season.
“It’s great that he’s going to get into a game,” said coach Travis Green. “It will be big for our group, especially being healthy. He played through a lot last year, experiencing a lot of pain, and probably wasn’t at the top of his game the way he wanted to be the last half of the year.
“It will be nice to see him back for him, and for us.”
He wanted to be ready for the start of the year, but didn’t know if that would be the case.
“You hope for the best, but prepare for the worst,” Jensen answered plainly. “I didn’t want to get to a point where I got to that four months and I wasn’t ready. With that, mentally, you’re just thinking, ‘Is this gonna happen? Maybe not. Maybe my career might be done. I don’t know.’
“I didn’t want to get into that. It’s the same way I approach the season. It’s game after game, period after period, shift after shift.”
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