When the Ottawa Senators selected Jake Sanderson at 5th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, it was met with a good degree of skepticism.
The thinking at the time was there were not only higher ceiling forwards on the board but many self-proclaimed draft experts suggested that Sanderson wasn’t even the best defenceman available that year. Jamie Drysdale went at 6th overall and if you were on social media at the time, you’ll recall the Senators taking an unreasonable amount of flack.
Sure, some got it right but there was a lot of angst over the pick.
Fast forward three years and now it’s pretty easy to see what Ottawa’s scouts loved about Sanderson and what a lot of those internet experts missed.
Jake Sanderson is a star in the making and is the kind of defenceman you build a team around. A 30-minute a night defender that can play in all situations and essentially tilt the ice in your team’s favour for half of the game. He’s the sort of defenceman that every team is looking for at the top end of the draft and without a doubt, one of the most important pieces on Ottawa’s current roster.
And he’s only just scratching the surface of his potential.
Sanderson put up 32 points as a rookie but by March and April, he was regularly leading Ottawa’s blueline in ice time. He would finish averaging 21:55 a night but if you take a closer look at those numbers, you can see a clear trend upwards as the season progressed. If the Senators made the playoffs, there’s a good chance Sanderson was playing 30 minutes a night. As a rookie. He was that good and the Coaching Staff trusted him that much.
Not only did he demonstrate that he can move the puck at a high rate of speed but he also proved that the elite hockey sense and uncanny ability to never get beat one-on-one that was on display during his time at North Dakota was a transferable skill.
The team had a plan to insulate him as a rookie but as the games rolled on, it was clear he needed no such thing. At a position that is historically challenging for young players, Sanderson seemed to pick it up by the second week of the season. The nuances of defending at the NHL level -timing, angles, gap control and stick placement – usually take years to figure out but in the case of Sanderson, he seemed to be adapting in real time. You could legitimately see him getting better on a nightly basis.
While Jake Sanderson sort of flew under the radar a little bit in his rookie campaign as demonstrated by a Calder Trophy nomination snubbing, the secret is out.
Anyone that watched him play on a regular basis could see that the kid has superstar potential. All around defenceman don’t always grab headlines but in the last week especially, the hype train has officially left the station.
Some of that comes from his own Captain but others are taking notice too.
For Sanderson, the pressure will be dialed up a notch or two this year and in turn, the expectations.
The Ottawa Senators are hoping to take a big step forward and finally make their long-awaited return to the post-season. A lot of that will depend on Sanderson in year two. For the first time in what feels like forever, the blueline has the potential to be an area of strength for the Senators but that will depend heavily on Sanderson maintaining and ultimately surpassing the level he achieved as a 20-year old.
It also happens to big year for Sanderson personally.
Entering the final year of his entry-level contract, Sanderson will earn a salary just a shade under a mil, plus bonuses. This will certainly be the last time he plays for a salary under seven figures. The Senators have already started to talk to Sanderson’s Camp about a long-term extension and if he continues to progress the way he has to this point in his career, he’s in line for a big ol’ payday.
It’s important to manage expectations with young players and that is especially true with young defenceman. Yet because he made the transition to the NHL look so effortless, it really does feel like the sky is the limit here.
Plus it’s September tomorrow so it’s time to turn things up a notch around here.
What do you expect from Jake Sanderson in year two?
