Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson could return to the lineup as early as next week according to the latest reports out of the nation’s capital.
Speaking to reporters before the team’s 5-2 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday, head coach Travis Green said “Once a guy starts skating, he’s a lot closer…Hopefully, in the next week to 10 days. That’s a ballpark.”
The 23 year old has been skating on his own for the last 3 days as he continues to recover from an upper body injury which has sidelined him since March 7th. As is usually the case in the NHL, the club has been extremely vague with what exactly Sanderson injured against the Seattle Kraken. However replays show him holding his right shoulder as he headed down the hallway towards the dressing room in his team’s 7-4 win.
Sanderson’s impact on the lineup cannot be overstated as he leads the team in average ice time at 24:49 per contest. Not only that, but he’s also elevated his offensive game this season as well, having already tied his career high in goals (11) in 18 fewer appearances. His 0.77 points per game pace is also a career best as he sits just 9 points shy of setting yet another new high watermark in his young career.
In the 7 games that he’s missed, Ottawa has posted a 5-2 record and now sit 3 points back of the Detroit Red Wings for the final wildcard spot with a game in hand. Up next for Ottawa is a 7:30pm ET matchup with the New York Rangers on Monday, followed by a Tuesday showdown with Detroit which will have massive playoff implications.
Photo: Jenn G. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.