Senators’ Jake Sanderson returns to lineup after eight-game absence
The Ottawa Senators are about to get a massive boost to their lineup, as defenseman Jake Sanderson is set to return to action for Wednesday night’s game against the Florida Panthers, according to head coach Travis Green.
Sanderson returns after missing all of the season thus far except for the first period of the Senators’ season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs with a lower-body injury. He sustained the injury during an awkward fall to the ice while chasing down a puck alongside Leafs center and former Sens teammate Nick Paul.
The injury was described as a nagging one that flared up again, although it was one which hadn’t caused Sanderson to miss any action in the past, as he’s only missed five games with a lower-body injury in his career, and none since January 2025.
The Senators managed to hold down the fort during Sanderson’s absence, as they currently sit in third in the Atlantic Division with a 6-3-0 record. That said, Sanderson’s impact has still been missed, as the team has struggled to drive play this season with only a 47.37% 5v5 expected goal share (10th-worst in the league according to Evolving Hockey), particularly at creating chances with the fourth-worst 5v5 expected goals for per 60 minutes with 2.23.
They’ll get plenty of that with Sanderson’s return, as his 14 goals and 40 assists for 54 points in 67 games last season led Senators defensemen in scoring. Additionally, he’s one of the top defensemen at creating individual chances (10th with 12.92 individual expected goals), and had one of the highest impacts among defensemen last season (fourth in expected goals above replacement with 23.3).
Sanderson will be reunited with his usual partner in Artem Zub based on the lines run during Wednesday’s morning skate. The duo were one of the most played pairings last season, outscoring their competition 40-28 with a 56.83% 5v5 xG% in almost 900 minutes of ice time together. Unfortunately, Sanderson’s return does come after Thomas Chabot was injured in Ottawa’s 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday, so Sanderson will only be replacing the Sens captain instead of both bolstering the backend.
The Senators will look to bounce back from the loss with a boost from Sanderson when they host the Panthers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
