Senators could get Jake Sanderson back in time for Brady Tkachuk’s return to Ottawa

The star defenceman, who left the Oct. 3 season opener early because of injury, is expected to rejoin the lineup to face Florida on Oct. 21.

Jake Sanderson Ottawa Senators Minnesota Wild — Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson (85) in action in the first period of the NHL season opener against the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Oct. 3. Sanderson left that contest early because of injury and hasn't played a game since, but is said to be close to returning to the lineup. Photo by Andrew Lahodynskyj /NHLI via Getty Images

The Ottawa Senators could have all hands on deck on the blueline for the return of former captain Brady Tkachuk.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Unlimited digital access to the Ottawa Citizen.
Analysis on all things Ottawa by Bruce Deachman,David Pugliese, and others, award-winning newsletters and virtual events.
Opportunity to engage with our commenting community.
Ottawa Citizen ePaper.
Ottawa Citizen App.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Exclusive articles from David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office.
Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account.
Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.
Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword.
Support local journalism.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account.
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.
Enjoy additional articles per month.
Get email updates from your favourite authors.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Access articles from across Canada with one account
Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments
Enjoy additional articles per month
Get email updates from your favourite authors

Sign In or Create an Account

Defenceman Jake Sanderson, who has not suited up since he left the National Hockey League club’s season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 3 after the first period, wasn’t to be on the ice on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, but was expected to face Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers next Wednesday.

Senators head coach Travis Green told reporters in Philadelphia on Saturday morning that the hope was that Sanderson would return from his unspecified lower-body ailment for the Oct. 21 contest against the Panthers.

Get the latest sport headlines and breaking news.

By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Sports will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again

“He’s probably going to play the next game,” Green said. “That’s the hope.”

Sanderson has struggled mightily to stay healthy in the past month. He missed the first week of training camp with another unspecified ailment, but returned to the lineup for the Senators’ final preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29.

He left that game midway through the second period with a different injury, then returned for the regular-season opener, but didn’t last the full 60 minutes.

Sanderson was on the ice with Senators teammates during the morning skate on Thursday and took part in an optional skate on Friday before the club travelled to Philadelphia.

He has been cleared for contact, so the Senators are giving him a little extra time for his recovery.

Nikolas Matinpalo of the Ottawa Senators is attended to by a trainer after being hit by Anthony Mantha of the New Jersey Devils (not pictured) during the first period at the Prudential Center on Monday night. — Nikolas Matinpalo of the Ottawa Senators is attended to by a trainer after being hit by Anthony Mantha of the New Jersey Devils (not pictured) during the first period at the Prudential Center on Oct. 12. Photo by Andrew Mordzynski /GETTY IMAGES

Nikolas Matinpalo, who left the road game against the New Jersey Devils on Monday after getting slammed into the boards by Anthony Mantha, was to be back in the lineup against the Flyers.

That meant defenceman Cameron Crotty was a healthy scratch after returning from an unspecified illness to play in Thursday’s 2-1 home-ice victory over the New York Islanders.

If Sanderson does play against the Panthers, the Senators will finally have their top defence pairing in place. Artem Zub suited up Thursday for his first game in six months following recovery from a knee injury during Round 1 of the 2026 playoffs against the Carolina Hurricanes.

“I think we had three rookie defencemen (against St. Louis on Tuesday), and you don’t see that a lot in the NHL,” Green said. “We’ve dressed 10 defencemen so far, so it’d be nice to get some of our guys back in the lineup.”

The Senators have battled through their early-season struggles to stay healthy and went into the visit to Philly with a 6-2-0 record. They have been helped by the fact that goaltender Linus Ullmark went into Saturday’s start with a 6-0-0 record.

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

Join the Conversation