Ottawa's Defense Corps Is Running Out of Bodies

Jake Sanderson exited against Toronto on Sunday with an apparent injury, and at this point the Senators' blue line situation has become its own running story. I wrote Thursday that his return for the opener was the critical variable for this team entering the playoffs. That lasted about 48 hours.

With Artem Zub already out to start the season and Blake Montgomery on injured reserve, the depth chart behind Sanderson is thin in ways that don't get better with time. Thomas Chabot anchors the top pair, and Tomas Hamara and Christian Kyrou have logged meaningful minutes, but Sanderson's 24.5 minutes a night and +7 rating represent a defensive load that doesn't redistribute cleanly. It gets absorbed, unevenly, by players who weren't built to carry it.

The broader context is worth noting: Ottawa's offense has already slipped to 2.8 goals per game over the last ten games, down nearly a full goal from the prior stretch. A blue line that can't hold leads makes that number matter more, not less. The Senators clinched as an eighth seed by surviving a brutal injury gauntlet all season. They may be asked to survive another one before the first playoff game is played.