Jake Sanderson injured and set to miss at least Senators’ next two games

The Ottawa Senators will be without key defenceman Jake Sanderson for at least their next two games after he suffered an undisclosed injury on Saturday in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Head coach Travis Green told reporters Monday that Sanderson has been sent back to Ottawa for additional medical evaluation.

While the team has not specified the nature of the injury, Green indicated it does not appear as serious as initially feared. Even so, losing Sanderson so early in the regular season forces the Senators to quickly adjust their plans on the back end.

Donovan recalled, Crotty steps into lineup

To fill the vacant roster spot, Ottawa has recalled defenceman Jordan Donovan from its AHL affiliate in Belleville. Donovan will provide depth as the Senators navigate at least a short-term absence for one of their most relied-upon blueliners.

With Sanderson unavailable, Cameron Crotty will enter the lineup Monday night in Boston against the Bruins. His insertion means Ottawa will redistribute Sanderson’s minutes across the defence corps, with Crotty getting an opportunity to stake a claim to a larger role.

Injury follows disrupted training camp

The setback comes on the heels of a disrupted training camp for Sanderson. He had been dealing with an injury issue before the season began, causing him to miss a significant portion of camp and much of the pre-season schedule. He only returned to practice last Friday, just ahead of Ottawa’s season opener.

In that opening game in Toronto, Sanderson managed just six shifts before being ruled out. Earlier in camp, he also left a split-squad contest on September 26 for precautionary reasons, prompting the Senators to be cautious with his workload.

Key producer on blue line for Ottawa

Sanderson’s absence is notable given how central he has become to Ottawa’s defence. In the 2025-26 season, the left-shot blueliner recorded 14 goals and 40 assists over 67 games, underlining his dual impact as a puck-mover and offensive contributor.

Selected fifth overall by the Senators in the 2020 NHL Draft, Sanderson is a cornerstone piece of the club’s long-term core. For now, Ottawa’s priority will be to get him fully healthy rather than rushing him back, while relying on Donovan, Crotty and the rest of the defence group to bridge the gap in the short term.