Jake Sanderson reveals injury that affected Senators playoff run

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson made a massive admission this past week as the club’s training camp got underway.

When speaking to the media, Sanderson revealed the injury he sustained during Game 3 of the Senators' first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Early in the second period of the third game in the series, Carolina forward Taylor Hall nailed the Sens’ top blueliner with a hit to the head. Sanderson stayed in the game, but ultimately left and did not return for the remainder of the series.

At the time of the injury, the series was 2-0 for Carolina, with the Senators hanging tough. So, you have to think that, had the injury not happened, the Senators could have gotten back into the series. After all, winning Game 3 would have completely changed the complexion of the series. Instead of it becoming a 4-0 sweep by Carolina, the Senators might have pushed the eventual Stanley Cup champions.

Heck, the Senators might have even pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent years.

But we’ll never know.

The good news is that Jake Sanderson is fine now. He seems fully recovered after taking plenty of time off this summer.

A fully healthy Sanderson, who dealt with multiple injury issues last season, will be key in helping the Senators get back to the postseason.

Jake Sanderson will be looking to enter the Norris Trophy conversation in 2026-27

Jake Sanderson has emerged as a consensus top-10 defenseman in the NHL this season. Just about every pundit agrees that Sanderson should be among the league’s elite blueliners.

While there may be a gap between the Senators’ star and the top-five elite, there’s no reason why he couldn’t elbow his way into the Norris Trophy conversation.

Sanderson, along with other blueliners like Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings, Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars, and Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, are guys who consistently ranks among the league’s best defensemen, but doesn’t always get the attention they deserve.

Last season, however, Zach Werenski broke the grip that Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes have had on the title for the NHL’s best defenseman. And it’s that victory which could open up a chance for a guy like Sanderson to throw his hat in the ring.

It won’t be easy to unseat the top guys like Makar, Hughes, and Werenski, but if there’s anyone who has a chance to change the current trends, it's Sanderson.

It will take a combination of a strong offensive season along with solid underlying defensive metrics. Sanderson checks off all those boxes, but you have to think that at some point, even a slight regression on the part of someone like Makar, coupled with a brilliant season, could lead to a bit of a surprise.

But when you look at Sanderson’s numbers, there are no real surprises.

Last season the former fifth-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft ended the year with 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games. He averaged nearly 25 minutes a night, while racking up just eight penalty minutes. Meanwhile, he finished with a +16, while notching five power play goals and 22 total points with the man advantage.

Those numbers, across a full 84-game season, could catapult Sanderson to the top of the Norris Trophy conversation. While winning it this season might be a bit out of the question, it would be surprising to see Sanderson get into the top five in voting.

All told, a great season from the Senators’ top blueliner will be essential to everyone’s overall success.

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