The Ottawa Senators got the kind of opening-night scare no team wants, with Jake Sanderson leaving Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs and not coming back.
The defenseman headed to Ottawa’s dressing room after an injury in the first period, and the Senators later confirmed he would not return. The play appeared to happen when Sanderson went awkwardly down to a knee after battling Leafs forward Nick Paul along the boards.
Sanderson’s absence matters because he’s become one of Ottawa’s most important blue-liners. The 24-year-old is coming off a strong season in which he posted 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points in 67 games, then added two assists in three playoff games during Ottawa’s sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round.
His rise has been steady since the Senators took him fifth overall out of the United States National Development Program in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. After two years at the University of North Dakota, Sanderson made his NHL debut in the 2022-23 season and finished with four goals and 28 assists for 32 points in 77 games, good for sixth in Calder Trophy voting.
He followed that with another productive year, recording 10 goals and 28 assists for 38 points in 79 games. Then came the breakout: 11 goals and 46 assists for 57 points in 80 games in 2024-25, a season that helped push the Senators into the postseason for the first time since 2017.
Sanderson is now in the third season of an eight-year, $64.4 million contract with Ottawa. For the Senators, who are trying to make the playoffs for a third straight season without captain Brady Tkachuk, that makes this an especially significant year.
In Other News...
Senators Statement Win Over Leafs Came With One Immediate Concern
Thomas Chabots first night wearing the captains letter gave the Senators exactly the kind of lift they were looking for in a rivalry game. He scored and added an assist as Ottawa edged the Maple Leafs 3-2, a statement win that offered plenty for the home side to feel good about after a tight, physical meeting with Toronto.
But the celebration came with an immediate concern for Ottawas blue line. Jake Sanderson left early after re-aggravating a lower-body injury, an unwelcome turn in a game that otherwise had the look of an encouraging reset for the Senators. Travis Green was left to sort through both the positives of the performance and the uncertainty surrounding one of his key defensemen. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson Puts Ottawa Back In A Worrying Injury Spot
Jake Sandersons injury situation has quietly become one of the more uneasy storylines around Ottawa as the season gets rolling. The young defenseman has been managing an undisclosed issue since training camp, which has already affected his preseason work and his availability for the regular season opener, and the Senators have been careful to offer only limited detail on where things stand.
The worry now is less about one missed day than about how often this has interrupted his rhythm. Sanderson has also missed some practices, and Ottawas concern is easy to understand given how central he is to the blue line. For a team that needs its top defenders available early, every absence only makes the outlook a little harder to read. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Sanderson's Early Exit Raises A Bigger Senators Concern
Jake Sandersons night in the Senators regular season opener ended much earlier than anyone around the club wanted to see. After dealing with undisclosed injuries that kept him out of practices and limited him in the preseason, the young defenseman left the game and did not return, adding an immediate layer of concern to a season that was just getting started.
The bigger issue now is the uncertainty around what happened and what it means going forward. Ottawa has not said whether the latest setback is connected to the earlier injuries that already disrupted his camp, and until theres more clarity, Sandersons status looms as one of the first important health questions facing the Senators. [Read more 🡒]