Senators' Chabot returns 2 weeks after surgery on broken arm

It's safe to say Thomas Chabot's toughness or healing powers should never be brought into question.

The Ottawa Senators defenseman will return to the lineup Thursday against the Florida Panthers just two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his arm, the team announced.

Chabot was given a recovery timeline of four-to-eight weeks following the March 26 surgery.

"I shocked the world," he said, according to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.

Chabot suffered the injury March 23 when he took a cross-check from New York Rangers captain J.T. Miller.

"I broke my arm. It's as simple as that," Chabot said. "Everything went well. The healing process went a lot quicker than we all expected. It's just fun to be back out there."

His return comes at a critical time for the Senators, who are just two points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets and three points up on three other teams for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Chabot ranks second to Jake Sanderson among Senators defensemen in virtually every major category, including average time on ice (22:34) and points (31) in 55 games this season.

He skated on the second pair with Jordan Spence during Thursday's morning skate.