Jason Bukala on the FAN Hockey Show threw up a question that stuck with me: How far down the list of best NHL defensemen will you go before you meet Jake Sanderson?
Sanderson is already in the second tier
Bukala spoke of Sanderson as someone who is already on that second level – not quite in the stratosphere of Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, but close enough that you stop and think. He’s right. Watching Sanderson every night, you start to see the full picture: effortless skating, smart reads, calm puck touches and the kind of defensive awareness you usually only get after 400 NHL games. He’s already doing it at 21.
The problem for Sanderson? The Senators’ Market. Ottawa just isn’t the place for a young defenseman to become a talking point around the league. If he were to post these minutes and these results in New York or Toronto, every panel in the league would be tripping over themselves to call him the next big thing.
Coaches and general managers have come to appreciate Sanderson
Bukala brought up the idea that coaches and general managers — the people who see players up close — always seem to have a deeper appreciation for guys like Sanderson. Pete DeBoer said the same thing about coaching Miro Heiskanen in Dallas: You can watch him on TV as much as you want, but until you see the little details shift after shift, you don’t really understand it. to get It.
Bill Guerin said something similar about Joel Eriksson Ek. Fans know he’s good, but people who watch him every day know he’s on another level.
That’s kind of where Sanderson sits. You know he’s talented. He plays big minutes. He’s stable. But when you really dial in and watch him closely, you start to think Sanderson has Norris-level tools. Bukala admitted that he once said that Sanderson would one day be in Norris’s conversations – and people laughed at him. They shouldn’t have done that.
Maybe he won’t pass Makar or Hughes, but he’s still solid
No one is saying he’ll pass Makar or Hughes. Those guys live on their own plank. But things get interesting with the next group of players like Moritz Seider, Hampus Lindholm, Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy and Heiskanen. Sanderson fits into that. Maybe not all in front yet, but he’s in the mix and he’s climbing.
If Ottawa ever remains stable as a team, gets its goaltending sorted out, and if the lineup matures, Sanderson will be up front. Then everyone else will finally understand what Sens fans already see: they have a star on their hands. Not loud. Not flashy. But definitely the real deal.
Related: Now, if only Auston Matthews would say what Leafs fans need to hear
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