When Patrick Sieloff was traded to the Senators three months ago, he told reporters in Calgary he was anxious for a fresh, new start.

“I’m fully into this,” the 22-year old defenceman said upon learning the Flames had dealt him to Ottawa for Alex Chiasson. “My job and my life is hockey. I’m not going to let anything get in the way of my goal ... to be a consistent player in the NHL, not a guy who’s going to put his foot in the door and then step out.”

That opportunity, however, will have to wait. And who knows where he will be when he gets it.

Three days into training camp, Sieloff made the mistake of delivering a high hit on Clarke MacArthur, giving the popular veteran his fourth concussion in 18 months and leaving his career in doubt. MacArthur’s teammates immediately took issue with the shot, naturally, but afterwards they said it was water under the bridge, the kid was playing hard and trying to impress, there are no hard feelings.

They were saying the right things, not necessarily what they felt.

Other than sharing the same gym with veterans, Sieloff has been kept away from the big team ever since. He is now practicing with the group destined to play for the AHL affiliate in Binghamton and with it he will stay. At least for now and quite possibly until he is moved to another organization.

A second-round pick (42nd overall) Senators brass was looking forward to watching up close during camp, Sieloff has not suited up in either of Ottawa’s two pre-season games thus far. Nor will he play in any of the remaining five, coach Guy Boucher confirmed after Wednesday night’s practice.

“The day that it happened, you need to manage the emotion on both sides,” Boucher said. “That’s why we pulled the kid out (of the scrimmage), to protect him against the emotion of the players, which was normal.

“Then we managed the emotions of the players after. That’s what you’ve got to do. Then after that he just ... pulling him out was better for him, better for the group, and now everything is fine.”

In other words, the fire is out. But Boucher is not about to throw any thing on it that would make it start up again.

We are certain Sieloff feels bad for what happened, but we haven’t heard the words from his mouth. He wasn’t made available to the media after the incident and he hasn’t been available since.

Clearly, the Senators want this thing to just go away.

“It’s one of those things that you have to manage well,” Boucher said. “Because like we’ve told him now, he’s where he would have been. That’s where he is. If he would have been ahead of some guys and really close to making it, he would get a game now. But that was not the case. So because it was clearly not the case, let’s not precipitate and bring back emotion right now that doesn’t need to be brought back. The kid is fine, the players are fine, there is no issue. There’s nothing else to add or talk about.

“The kid was right in there in the gym, with all the players,” Boucher added. “So it’s not like he’s stuck in a corner by himself and we’ve pushed him out.

“It’s ... you were going to be (with the Bingo group) already. In the American League. So you’re going where you were going to go. So instead of precipitating that, we’re doing what we were going to do anyways.”

On one hand, the organization is doing the right thing. Despite their claims, players have not forgotten or forgiven what happened Sunday afternoon during that split-second decision by Sieloff.

If you were one of them — and you had seen your good friend being led off the ice, appearing as discombobulated as he was when helped to the dressing room after his concussion last October in Columbus, knowing what he went through afterwards and knowing all the hard work he had done to return this season — you wouldn’t either.

At the same time, you have to feel somewhat sorry for Sieloff. He can’t un-commit the crime. He can’t just apologize for the mistake and move on. The Senators won’t let him.

Before the incident, Boucher claimed Sieloff “played fine.”

“It wasn’t him playing good or bad,” the coach said. “It’s that some guys are ahead of him right now. That’s it.”

But not even one pre-season game against NHL talent for a chance to pull himself back in the race for a job?

Boucher speaks there were all sorts of openings heading into this camp. He now says there are a number of guys “on the bubble” and Sieloff isn’t one of them. Truth is, before anyone was injured, they just needed to pull from the heard a fourth-line left winger and a seventh defenceman. And now they need a D-man and two wingers, with MacArthur out.

“He needs to go back and continue working hard,” Boucher said of Sieloff. “He could be the first call up.”

If time heals this wound, maybe. But don’t bet on it.

“There’s no animosity now,” said Boucher. “That’s why we don’t need to change the way we did things.”