Jake Sanderson’s full practice return boosts Senators before Leafs opener

The Ottawa Senators received an important piece of good news on Friday, as top defenceman Jake Sanderson took part in a full team practice and is expected to be available for Saturday’s season opener in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Sanderson had been unable to practise with the group earlier in the week because of a late‑pre‑season issue, leaving his status in doubt heading into a demanding stretch of three games in four nights on the road.

Blue‑line health in focus with Sanderson, Zub and Burakovsky

A quirk in the NHL schedule has left Ottawa idle while much of the league has already begun its regular season, but the extra days have allowed some key players to heal. Sanderson’s return is the most encouraging development, given his role and the concern that game action might have aggravated his ailment.

His regular partner, Artem Zub, is still recovering from a knee injury suffered in last spring’s playoffs. Zub experienced a setback during camp and has yet to join a full practice, though he continues to skate on his own. Up front, newly acquired winger Andre Burakovsky is working his way back from a hit delivered by Montreal Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj in a recent pre‑season game. Burakovsky skated Friday in a non‑contact jersey, indicating progress but no full clearance yet. Forward Ridly Greig remains unavailable as he serves a two‑game suspension to start the season.

With no games on the schedule, head coach Travis Green and his staff turned the week into a second training camp, emphasizing skills sessions, high‑tempo drills and battle work to keep the group sharp before the opener.

Life after Tkachuk and pressure on Ullmark in goal

Beyond the injury updates, the Senators enter 2026‑27 looking to prove their recent playoff berths were no one‑off. They are doing it without former captain Brady Tkachuk, now with the Florida Panthers, and with Thomas Chabot taking over the ‘C’ on the back end. General manager Steve Staios views the team as firmly in its contention window, leaning on a defensive structure that took hold under Green’s watch the past two seasons.

External expectations are mixed. Some prediction panels have unanimously left Ottawa out of the playoff picture in a deep Eastern Conference and a stacked Atlantic Division. At the same time, several analytics sites continue to highlight the Senators’ strong underlying numbers from last season, when subpar goaltending early on held them back before Linus Ullmark steadied late in the year and into the playoffs. Sportsnet’s Frank Seravalli even included a bold forecast that Ottawa would not only qualify for the post‑season but upset Florida in the first round.

Ullmark, 33, comes into the season under a bright spotlight after a challenging 2025‑26. He took a mental health leave of about a month after suffering an anxiety attack during a game in Toronto and finished the regular season with an .891 save percentage, his first campaign below .900 in the NHL, at a time when goaltending numbers declined league‑wide. Swedish coach and mentor Maciej Szwoch remains on staff to support him as coordinator of goaltending scouting and development. Behind Ullmark, new backup Samuel Ersson will be counted on for meaningful minutes, especially since Ullmark has never played 50 games in a season. Prospect Leevi Merilainen was lost on waivers to the Vancouver Canucks after a difficult year in Ottawa and Belleville and a rough pre‑season.

Scoring by committee and blue‑line depth key to staying in the hunt

Offence is another central question. Ottawa lacks a pure sniper, but centre Tim Stutzle and winger Drake Batherson are coming off seasons of 34 and 33 goals, respectively, and are candidates to push those totals higher. Dylan Cozens was next with 28, and the expectation is that a deep forward group — including Shane Pinto, Claude Giroux, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund, William Eklund, Burakovsky, Michael Amadio and Greig once he returns — can produce by committee.

The plan under Green is to avoid track meets. If the Senators remain difficult to play against and receive steady goaltending, they believe they can win tight, low‑scoring games rather than relying on high‑octane offence. The defence corps is built to support that approach, with Sanderson, Chabot, Zub and Jordan Spence forming the top four and Tyler Kleven providing a physical edge after a strong playoff series last spring. Sanderson already ranked fifth in team scoring last season with 14 goals and 54 points, and there is a sense that his offensive ceiling has not yet been reached.

Having gone 12‑5‑5 without Tkachuk last season, the Senators see evidence that their structure can withstand the loss of their former captain. As they open on the road against a revamped Maple Leafs team, the mood around Ottawa appears to be a mix of nerves and determination — a fan base and organization intent on proving they can not only reach the playoffs again, but finally advance past the first round for the first time since 2017.