Brady Tkachuk will not play for the Senators against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; CBC, SNO, SNW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) but could make his season debut against the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
The forward, who was a restricted free agent, signed a seven-year, $57.5 million contract on Thursday.
Tkachuk was not available for a season-opening 3-2 home win against the Maple Leafs on Thursday, but practiced on Friday and Saturday. Coach D.J. Smith had previously said it would take Tkachuk 7-10 days to be game-ready after missing all of training camp.
"He would like to play tonight," Smith said Saturday. "If it was up to him, he would be out there tonight. ... There is a chance (he plays Sunday) but again, we'll see what he looks like today. ... We'll reassess tomorrow but the likelihood is he'll go against San Jose (on Thursday)."
Tkahcuk led the Senators with 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 56 games last season. He also led them in penalty minutes (69) and was second in the NHL in hits (248), two behind Florida Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas.