Sanderson's Injury Is the Quiet Crisis Underneath Ottawa's Loud Offseason

The Senators traded their captain, brought in new pieces, and signed Jordan Spence to anchor the blue line alongside Jake Sanderson. That was the plan. The problem is Sanderson remains sidelined heading into mid-July, and nobody in Ottawa is saying much about when he comes back.

Last season Sanderson logged 24.5 minutes a night and finished plus-7 — the best plus-minus on a team that badly needed someone who could hold a lead. He was the one defenseman Ottawa could build around. Spence is a reasonable addition on a four-year deal, but he was signed to play beside Sanderson, not instead of him. With Artem Zub also out, the blue line that was supposed to be a quiet offseason strength is suddenly the most pressing question on the roster.

The rest of the reset is already complicated enough. The Tkachuk trade cleared cap space and draft capital but left a real hole up front, and the Eklund acquisition is a bet, not a solution. Ridly Greig's suspension pulls another piece out of a forward group that was already thin. Tim Stutzle will carry the offense again — he did it at a point per game last season and there's no reason to think that burden gets lighter.

Ottawa opens next season in Toronto. The Leafs already made a joke of it on schedule release day. The Senators would very much like to have their best defenseman available by then.