OTTAWA — The term next man up is thrown around in hockey more than sniffing salts on the bench right before a game. But the true testament of a star is stepping up when their fellow star is out.
Sanderson has taken another step forward in his game this season, elevating closer and closer to superstar status. He’s scored 11 points in his first 12 games which ranks him second in the NHL in points by a defenceman. He leads the team in time on ice while assigned the toughest matchups and quarterbacks the sixth-best power play in the NHL so far this season.
“Feel like I’m definitely a better player than I was last year,†Sanderson told Sportsnet.ca. “I think the things I did in the summer have been paying off so far.â€
We could see this coming. After a slow start last season, he played his way onto Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, and proceeded to shine by scoring in the gold-medal game. He then finished second in points by a defenceman in the final 36 games by tallying 33.
The 23-year-old Sanderson just doesnâ€t stop improving. In each of his first three seasons, Sanderson has set career highs in goals and is currently on pace for a career high 68 points.
“I actually think Sanderson was a little bit of a late bloomer,†said fellow Senator Ridly Greig, who also played with Sanderson for Team Alberta when both were 14.
“I think he didn’t really get that spark (in his play) until he got to the U.S. (development program) camp (when Sanderson was 16).â€
The constant subtle and not-so subtle improvement has been a welcome development for a Senators team trying to go from good to great.
Sanderson has been that spark for the Senators with the massive void of Tkachukâ€s leadership. But Sanderson doesnâ€t do it with Tkachukâ€s volcanic energy.
“I like to call myself an ‘everydayerâ€.â€
For Sanderson, hockey is life. Tkachuk affectionately called him “boring†because he is so dialled in to the sport. He has a strict diet and recovery routine he follows as closely as when heâ€s defending Connor McDavid on the ice.
“I just wake up every day and have a purpose every single day,†Sanderson said. “I love what I do for a living.â€
Against the Calgary Flames on Thursday night, Sanderson made a costly error in the neutral zone in the third period that directly led to what looked to be the game-winning goal for Nazem Kadri. Sanderson said he was “pretty pissed offâ€.
Ottawa head coach Travis Green called the turnover “uncharacteristicâ€.
But Sanderson quickly redeemed himself, scoring to tie the game with less than three minutes left. The Sens went on to win the game in a shootout.
Instead of getting down on himself after his misplay, Sanderson moved on. He says heâ€s been reading “Open†by Andre Agassi — a book about athletes†mindsets. “Just a lot of stoicism. That’s my big thing,†Sanderson said.
“It’s funny how really good players in the league find a way to just get the job done. And I know he would,†said Green.
Sandersonâ€s dogged determination rubs off on his teammates, especially one in particular. Artem Zub.
The two blue-liners have been paired consistently since the 2023-24 season and have been immaculate. In that time, theyâ€ve had an expected goals share of 56 per cent at five-on-five while matching up against every teamâ€s superstars. Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper called the duo “elite†earlier this season.
“We’ve had some good shifts where we’ve sustained some good O-zone, and honestly, I don’t think we spent a lot of time in our D-zone,†said Sanderson about him and Zub. “Credit to both of us, but him, especially. He’s so solid in the D-zone, and allows me to jump up in the play.â€
Sanderson joked that the Russian is off to a “hot start†with eight points in his first 12 games, including a tying goal against Calgary Thursday night that helped Ottawa secure a win.
Looks like Sandersonâ€s offence is rubbing off Zubpremely(pardon the pun) well on his Russian partner.
Zub is to Sanderson what Marc Methot was to Erik Karlsson: the steady, mistake-free defenceman that complements the uber-talented, Norris-calibre defenceman.
Of defence pairings that have played over 125 minutes together at five-on-five, Zub and Sanderson rank 10th in expected goals percentage at 56 per cent, while also playing the hardest matchups every single night. No nights off.
One might ask how the duo communicates, given Zubâ€s rudimentary English.
“I haven’t learned a thing,†said Sanderson with a wry smile about his Russian language skills.
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But they manage. The two have grown closer together, and Sanderson takes the role as chief communicator to the rest of the team.
“He likes to grab me one-on-one,†said Sanderson about Zub. “He won’t really speak up in a big setting, so I’m kind of the guy. He first grabs me.
“If he has a question after the meetings, he’s coming to me in practice and drills.â€
But Sanderson hasnâ€t just been dominant with Zub at five-on-five; he’s led Ottawa’s formidable power play this season. Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Sanderson trails only two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar in power-play points.
“Using my five-on-five play on the power play,†said Sanderson about his success. “Just skating the puck up ice fast, drawing them back, having that shot mentality, I think I can do a little bit more of that, just shooting more pucks at the same time.â€
A perfect example of Sandersonâ€s elevated offensive game was his career-high eight shots against Calgary, including the game-saving goal.
Sanderson began his career in Ottawa as a shutdown defenceman with modest offensive range. Today, his mantra is that defence leads to offence.
“I showed a little bit last year, but at the same time, I’m not going to force it,†Sanderson said about his offensive play. “I love the style of game that I play. Having those big match ups every single night excites me to come to the rink and play the game.â€
Sanderson is 24th in expected goals allowed among all defenceman whoâ€ve played 1,000 minutes at five-on-five since the start of 2024-25. He is on a trajectory to become a cross between Jaccob Slavinâ€s defensive shutdown abilities and Victor Hedmanâ€s offence, specifically as an excellent power-play hub.
“He’s attentive, very coachable, youâ€re lucky when you have a guy like Sandy to coach on your team,†said Green.
One of the principles of stoicism is accepting what you can’t control. Sanderson couldnâ€t change the past, but the hockey Gods rewarded his resilience against Calgary. A metaphor for Sandersonâ€s season.
Sandersonâ€s evolution as a human being, thinker and player has led the Senators above .500 without Tkachuk. Sanderson is the main reason Ottawa fans donâ€t have a look of stoic resignation on their faces right now.
Linus Ullmark takes back comments
Ullmark partially retracted his post-game comments from Ottawa’s 7-3 loss in Chicago where he said, “there was a little bit of immaturity.â€
On Thursday after Ottawaâ€s 4-3 win against Calgary he had a different tune.
“I came out a little hot last game, saying some things that I might afterwards regret. I got to eat them up today, because I felt we played a mature game today.”
Ullmark called himself a leader in the past on the Senators, which can be hard as a goalie where your job is different from the rest of your teammates. Regardless, the fact that he somewhatapologized is curious but needed because we rarely see a goaltender call out his teamâ€s performances as immature. The best leaders, whether goalie or position player, lead by example. Ullmark was better against Calgary, stopping 27-of-30 shots. A needed result because his .863 save percentage wonâ€t do it from one of your leaders.
All stats from Evolving hockey, Moneypuck and Natural Stat Trick
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