Rookie Sanderson could boost Sens blueline

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To some, the September equinox marks the transition from the summer to the fall. For excited hockey fans, this mile marker serves as a reminder that preseason hockey is about to begin, and the opening of the regular season is just a few weeks away.

This past weekend we were treated to some semblance of competitive hockey, with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs getting together for two split-squad games. What made the action intriguing was the amount of NHL regulars dressed for both teams – a collection of some established veterans shaking off some summer rust, and up-and-coming players trying to crack NHL rosters.

There were a few impressive performances on both sides amidst Toronto’s 4-1 victory in the opening game, but my eyes were drawn most aggressively to a 20-year-old defenceman from the Ottawa Senators.

Jake Sanderson – the fifth-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft – spent the last two years with the University of North Dakota and entered training camp with a real shot at winning a starting job on Ottawa’s blueline. That’s equal parts his draft pedigree and how productive he was at the NCAA level, along with the reality that the talent across Ottawa’s NHL projected 23-man roster skews heavily towards the forward ranks.

It was just one preseason game, but Sanderson looked sublime. We saw flashes of both elite-level skating and puck distribution, the hallmarks of a top-four defender in the modern era of hockey. It’s precisely what Ottawa needs to see more of, knowing they’re without any sort of established pairing behind the duo anchored by veteran Thomas Chabot right now.

The hype with Sanderson will not abate anytime soon, nor should it. But it is an interesting dynamic to see a