Senators lose another defenseman as trade rumors heat up.

The Ottawa Senators have taken yet another hit on defense, and with trade rumors already heating up last week around the Senators defense you have to wonder if something is about to give.

The latest comes to us by way of Ottawa Senators insider Bruce Garrioch, who has now revealed that Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker will miss at least a month of action after suffering a high-ankle sprain over the weekend. The injury occurred during the Senators' 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, and it would appear that Bernard-Docker attempted to play through the pain given that he had nearly 17 minutes of ice time on the night.

Unfortunately Bernard-Docker's toughness will only get him so far and it now sounds like he could be out until the turn of the calendar year according to head coach DJ Smith.

“It’s one of the toughest injuries because you feel good walking around, you feel good practicing and then all of a sudden you go to (skate) back and you want a hard push and you can’t push,” Smith said as per the Ottawa Sun. “Typically, it’s four-to-six weeks and sometimes longer.”

As mentioned the Senators were reportedly looking for help on defense before the Bernard-Docker injury occurred and you have to believe that this has only added to their need in that regard. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman mentioned a potential 1 for 1 trade between the Senators and fellow Canadian franchise the Vancouver Canucks over the weekend and I do wonder if the Senators might not revisist that trade now that Bernard-Docker has been injured.

There have also been rumblings that defenseman Erik Karlsson could be a target given that the Sharks have made it clear they will listen to offers, but that seems like a long shot at best with 2 other teams rumored to be linked to Karlsson.