When former Senators GM Pierre Dorion looks back on his tenure in Ottawa, there will undoubtedly be moves he’d like to have back.
Rebuilding an NHL franchise as a first-time GM was never going to be easy. Doing it under one of the league’s most hands-on and unpredictable owners was another level altogether. While there were certainly missteps along the way, Dorion deserves lasting credit for a number of moves, including one that continues to age remarkably well.
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Selecting Jake Sanderson fifth overall in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Steve Warne and Gregg Kennedy discuss which players might fill out the Senators top six this fall.
At the time, the pick wasn’t universally applauded. Some draft analysts believed that if Ottawa wanted a defenceman that high, Jamie Drysdale was the better option. Six years later, there isn’t much debate.
Dorion and his scouting staff got it right.
In fact, they got it spectacularly right when Dorion later signed Sanderson to an eight-year, $64 million contract in a deal that now looks like one of the NHL’s best bargains.
Sanderson still has six seasons remaining on that contract, so the Senators have one of the league’s elite young defencemen completely locked in as he enters the prime of his career.
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His fourth NHL season last year was shaping up to be his best yet until a shoulder injury cost him 13 games. He still put up 54 points in 67 games, putting him on pace to shatter his previous career high.
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Most importantly, his all-around game continues to evolve. Whether it’s shutting down the opposition’s best forwards, logging huge minutes in all situations or leading the charge up ice, Sanderson is regarded by fans and media as one of the league’s very best defensemen.
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But nothing compares to the praise that comes from your peers, and when it comes from a star division rival who plays your position, that carries even more weight.
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy appeared on the Wingmen podcast this week and spoke glowingly about Sanderson when he was asked by the hosts which Team USA player impressed him the most among players he didn’t know a lot about.
“At the Four Nations, it was Sandy,” McAvoy said. “Like, I knew he was a stud, but then it was kind of when he started playing, I was like, all right, Sandy’s unbelievable.”
McAvoy’s comments reinforce what Ottawa hockey fans have known for years. Sanderson has the rare ability to control a game without demanding much attention. He skates effortlessly, defends with poise, moves the puck with precision and makes it all seem so casual.
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At just 24, Sanderson is already one of the faces of the franchise. With Brady Tkachuk now gone, a new leadership group will eventually emerge, and it’s fair to wonder whether Sanderson will be the next man up to wear the C in Ottawa.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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