OTTAWA — Last season was transformative for the Ottawa Senators. They got one step closer to a new arena becoming a reality, but taking that vision to completion is still a few years away. Led by Travis Green in his first season as head coach, the organization also ended its seven-year playoff drought, finishing with 97 points.
Though the season ended in the first round of the playoffs with a Game 6 defeat against the rival Maple Leafs, the result affirmed that their rebuild was on track and gave hope that, perhaps, it doesn’t have to be so much longer until the organization reaches owner Michael Andlauer and GM Steve Staios’ goal of being a yearly post-season competitor and Stanley Cup contender.
As the Senators look to take another step in 2025-26 — winning a regular season division title? Going on a playoff run? — there are certain key players who, with further refinement in their own game, can ensure the team gets there.
If Brady Tkachuk becomes a 30-goal, point-per-game player again, it’ll be a great sign for the team. Likewise, if Tim Stutzle can match or improve on his career high of 90 points from three years ago, or if Linus Ullmark can start more games or enter the Vezina conversation again.
And then there’s Jake Sanderson. Though he turned just 23 years old over the summer, Sanderson was Ottawa’s leader in average ice time last season and was used more than any other blue-liner on the team in shorthanded and power-play scenarios. In a generation that includes Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes — among other excellent defencemen — winning a Norris Trophy will be a tall task, but if Sanderson could put together a season that brings more top-five consideration for the award, it would go a long way to propelling the Senators forward, up the ladder and into the next tier of teams. He had nine fourth-place Norris votes last season, and six for fifth place.
“I think he’s scratching the surface of what he can be and what his ceiling is,” said Green. “I don’t know (what his ceiling is). I don’t think anyone does.”
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The 2024-25 season ended up being a banner year for Sanderson, though it didn’t necessarily look like it would be at the start. Through his first 36 games, Sanderson had 21 points, but when he was on the ice at five-on-five, the Senators were outscored 25-12 and he was minus-12. An analytical look shows Sanderson was on the ice for 23.82 expected goals for, and 25.16 against.
It’s difficult to have much of a critical eye to those minuses, given Sanderson is tasked with tough opponent matchups, and the Senators are a still-developing group. He gets plenty of offensive opportunities but was also asked to play a critical defensive role, too.
It was around this time that Sanderson began working more regularly with Senators skills coach Jonathan Sigalet, primarily on his offensive-zone positioning, not standing idle or getting lost in the zone. He told us in December that “I think I can definitely be better,” and after putting more focused work in, his second-half results began to shine.
In his last 44 games, Sanderson managed 36 points — seventh among all NHL defencemen. Seventeen of those came on the power play, which was bested by only Evan Bouchard and Moritz Seider in the second half.
Sanderson improved to just a minus-2 in the back end of the year. Analytically, the Senators had 30.63 expected goals for and 26.29 expected goals against when Sanderson was on the ice at five-on-five, a notable turnaround that indicates the team was carrying the play better with him down the stretch.
The hockey world was taking notice, too, and in February Sanderson was a late addition to Team USA’s entry at the 4 Nations Face-Off, subbing in for the injured Hughes. Sanderson scored a go-ahead goal for his country in the tournament final.
“I think I (gained) a lot of confidence, it grew a new hunger for me,” Sanderson said of his 4 Nations experience.
“(I learned) why the best players in the league are at the top every single night is because they’re the most consistent players. That’s something I’m still striving for today.
“I think I learned to be confident, and that’s all those guys have, is confidence. Everybody’s skill set is somewhat similar, but it’s the confidence that they bring every single day.”
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In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Sanderson added to the list of notable second-half achievements with his first post-season goal: an overtime marker in Game 4 that saved the Senators from a sweep. He had three points in the series and averaged over 26 minutes of ice time per game.
Now, Sanderson wants his entire 2025-26 campaign to be like the second half of last season.
“I think I learned last year not to think about it too much and kind of just let myself loose and go out and play and have fun. And I think I did that in the second half of the season,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m never that flashy kind of offensive player like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes. But I think something I use (well offensively) is just my skating. Just getting open, having a shot-first mentality, too. I think it really helped me in the second half.”
If Sanderson takes another jump in point production, and inches closer to Hughes and Makar, teammate Stutzle thinks “he can be a top-two (defenceman) in the league.”
Signed for the next seven years with an $8.05 million AAV, Sanderson is tied to the Senators until he turns 30, with a contract that has every possibility to grow into one of the best value deals in the NHL.
Can he take another step in 2025-26? Will any of the rest of Ottawa’s young core?
If so, another transformative year for Sanderson and the Senators is about to begin.
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