This is not a drill, folks.
When you crawl out of bed tomorrow morning, it will be September. You remember September, don’t you? It’s the month when the days get shorter, the temperature starts to cool off a little bit and NHL HOCKEY COMES BACK.
Now of course that’s a slight exaggeration. It will start with the odd SensPlex skate. Actually, those videos are already starting to trickle in. I know this because I watched this one about 15 times yesterday.
Poor, poor Austin Watson.
But things are only going to ramp up in the days ahead. Training Camp in a couple weeks. Preseason games now just 25 days away. The regular season opener is in 43 days, for crying out loud. We’re in it now.
And with a new season approaching, the realities of the team we’re about to see on the ice when the calendar turns to October are starting to come into focus. Players like Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot and Drake Batherson all with another year of experience under their belts and ready to take their game to a new level. Shane Pinto healthy and ready to join that young core. Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux in Sens colours.
Oh and Jake fuckin’ Sanderson.
Excuse my language but it’s just sinking in that we are now only a few weeks away from getting to watch this guy against NHL competition. And it’s damn exciting. See, when a team loads up on prospects the way the Senators have over the last five years, you can get a little bit spoiled. When you have a new shiny toy in the lineup year after year, you almost start to get a little bit complacent.
But when Jake Sanderson suits up for the Senators this fall, assuming he does indeed crack the opening night lineup, it’s another huge piece of the puzzle here in Ottawa. If he is anything close to the player that we saw last year at North Dakota, he has the potential to be a game-changer for the Senators.
Because for all the flash the Senators have up front, there are still some serious questions about that blueline. When the list of defenceman you are completely comfortable with includes oh, two names, that’s a pretty good indication that there is some uncertainty back there.
Jake Sanderson has an opportunity to change that in a hurry.
A 5th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, Sanderson is a true “does it all” defenceman. Similar to Thomas Chabot in a lot of ways, Sanderson projects to be a guy that can play big minutes in all situations and help you at both ends of the rink. When he was drafted, there seemed to be this assumption that he was a more “defence first” type but his last season at North Dakota pretty quickly dispelled that notion.
The question for the Senators is how quickly he can adjust to the NHL game.
Pierre Dorion talked about him during his recent appearance on TSN 1200 and while you could tell the GM was desperately trying to reel in his own excitement over the player, he did say there is no guarantee he’s on the roster when the season opens in October. Probably a good idea to manage expectations a little bit. Defenceman generally take a little longer to adjust to the speed of the NHL game and many great defenceman have needed a little bit of time in the AHL before becoming NHL regulars.
That may be the path Sanderson takes too.
Although looking at the current depth chart, it’s clear that he’ll have every opportunity to make the team out of Training Camp. He’s not a small guy and when you combine that with his effortless skating, elite one-on-one defending ability and good decision making, it’s going to be pretty hard to keep him out of the lineup.
The biggest issue may ultimately be how quickly he can get back up to speed after missing a lot time with an injury.
He appeared on a recent episode of the Wally & Methot Podcast and outlined some of the challenges there. Recovery from surgery (his second surgery on the same hand in a five month span) seems to be going well though and by all accounts, he’ll be ready. We’ll get our first look at him before that though as he’s one of 30 prospects expected to participate in a NHLPA Rookie Showcase beginning on September 6th.
It’s a good way to ensure he’s ready to hit the ground running when things start for real the following week.
Jake Sanderson is going to be a difference-maker for the Ottawa Senators. We’ll find just how quickly he can have an impact starting in September. Also, SEPTEMBER STARTS TOMORROW.
What are your expectations for Jake Sanderson this season?
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