Jake Sanderson is making it look easy out there-and that’s exactly what makes him so dangerous.
On a night when the Ottawa Senators leaned heavily on their blue line to control the pace, Sanderson delivered a clinic in two-way hockey. Whether he was shutting down Montreal rushes with calm, calculated stick work or flipping the ice with his effortless skating, Sanderson was the engine behind Ottawa’s transition game.
One play, in particular, stood out: after breaking up a Canadiens push in his own zone, Sanderson took the puck coast-to-coast with that signature glide of his. He didn’t just move the puck-he dictated the tempo. That end-to-end rush set up Brady Tkachuk’s go-ahead goal, a moment that showcased exactly why Sanderson is becoming one of the most complete defensemen in the league.
And he wasn’t done. Midway through the third, with Ottawa looking to put the game out of reach, Sanderson ripped a wrist shot over the blocker of Sam Montembeault. It had all the markings of a dagger-calm under pressure, perfectly placed, and executed with the kind of poise you expect from a seasoned vet, not someone still early in his NHL journey.
For young defensemen trying to find their footing, Sanderson is setting the bar. That’s something Belleville Senators interim head coach Andrew Campbell made sure to point out, especially with top prospect Carter Yakemchuk in the building.
“It should be inspiring for him, right?” Campbell said.
“Sandy is one of the best defencemen in the whole NHL, so you can learn so much from watching him play-his execution, the way he defends, the way he skates and uses his feet. He’s a very special player to watch.”
Yakemchuk, for his part, was locked in. “The way he skates, he’s so smooth out there,” he said. “He can break the puck out so easily.”
It’s that blend of smooth skating, high IQ, and elite decision-making that’s turning Sanderson into a cornerstone on the Ottawa blue line. Nights like this don’t just show up on the scoresheet-they show up in the way a team moves, defends, and builds confidence from the back end out.
For the Senators, that’s a big-time development. For the rest of the league, it’s a growing problem.