Ottawa Senators fans will have to wait for clarity on defenceman Jake Sanderson, who was sent back to Ottawa on Sunday for further testing and is expected to miss the remainder of the team's season-opening road trip.
How it happened
Sanderson's night in Toronto ended almost as soon as it began. He left the season opener against the Maple Leafs in the first period after getting tangled with Toronto forward Nick Paul and colliding into the boards. He played just 4:29 across six shifts before heading off.
Head coach Travis Green offered a measured read afterward. "We'll know more in the next few days," Green said. "Sandy was smart enough to pull himself out early enough that he didn't re-aggravate it too badly."
Sent home for testing
On Sunday, Sanderson was sent back to Ottawa for further testing. He is expected to miss the rest of the opening road trip. No timeline for his return has been given in the reports available so far, and the nature of the injury has not been disclosed.
The news follows a rough lead-up. Sanderson had been dealing with an undisclosed injury throughout training camp, one that limited him to a single period in the preseason. That history is part of why his health was among the biggest questions heading into the opener, as ottown noted in ottown's earlier report on the storylines before puck drop.
What the Senators lose
Sanderson, 24, is one of the most heavily used defencemen in the league. Last season he recorded 14 goals and 54 points in 67 games while averaging 24:50 of ice time, ninth in the NHL. Few players on the roster carry that kind of workload, and any absence leaves a large amount of minutes to be spread across the rest of the blue line.
It is also worth keeping the result in view. Ottawa still came away with a 3-2 win in Toronto, with Stephen Halliday scoring the third-period winner and Thomas Chabot collecting a goal and an assist in his first game as captain. Both are covered in ottown's earlier report on the game. The Senators now have to carry that momentum through the rest of the trip without one of their top defenders.
What happens next
The next step is the testing Sanderson is undergoing in Ottawa. Until the results are known, the team has not said how long he will be out beyond the road trip, and it has not named who will take on his minutes. Green's comment that more would be known in the next few days suggests an update could come soon, but nothing further has been announced.
For Ottawa fans, the immediate takeaway is simple: Sanderson is back in the city, he is not travelling with the team, and the Senators are waiting on the results before saying anything more about how serious the injury is.
Sources: TSN
