Matt Carkner (knee) has resumed skating, but he is "still a distance away" from coming back to the lineup, according to coach Paul MacLean. "It's good that I'm skating, but it's only two-and-a-bit weeks after the surgery, so that's a positive sign," Carkner said. "But with the things that have happened with me, I never put a time line on it." His original prognosis was set at four to six weeks after he underwent surgery on his right knee during camp.

Matt Carkner is projected to miss at least four to six weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee Monday morning. It's the same knee that he had a procedure on in April and he may have aggravated it during his rehabilitation. Carkner's absence opened up a hole for rookie rearguard David Rundblad to join the Senators' defense group, so it will lose some toughness and add some offensive capabilities.

Matt Carkner has undergone knee surgery. Carkner re-aggravated the knee injury he originally suffered in April. It's not immediately clear how much time he'll miss, but given this information, we can't recommend owning him in standard fantasy leagues. We'll keep you posted.

Matt Carkner (knee) wasn't on the ice Thursday. Carkner's 2010-11 campaign was cut short due to a knee injury and it's not clear if he'll be available for the Senators' 2011-12 season opener. When he's healthy, Carkner averages close to three penalty minutes per game.

Matt Carkner, whose 2010-11 campaign was cut short due to a knee injury, didn't skate on Saturday. "We just wanted to make sure we didn't put him in a position where we made it worse," coach Paul MacLean said. "Everything was positive for him and we fully expect him to skate (Sunday)." Carkner had seven points and 136 penalty minutes in 50 games last season.