from Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun,
Methot couldn't participate in Friday's skate test, but practised Saturday and played in Sunday's intra-squad game. He has not participated in any of the team's four exhibitions since, nor was he able to take part in Thursday's practice.
While negotiations on a contract extension for Methot have hit a standstill, there exists rumours the Senators are looking to trade him. Meanwhile, on Thursday MacLean labelled Methot a "top pairing" defenceman that is "virtually important to the success" of the team.
"We've tried to really monitor this, and be on top of this," MacLean said of Methot's injury. "Is it frustrating? For Marc, it is frustrating. For myself, we need him on the ice healthy, not 80 percent. At the start of the season we need players at 100 percent. When I say 70 or 80, I'm using that as a general term.
"In Marc's situation, he has something that's keeping him off the ice and we're trying to make sure we get it taken care of before the season starts. We're not going to just shovel him out there, just to have him out there. We want to make sure he's going to be able to do the things that he can do. We need him to be all that he can be, not just out there at 70%."
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