While Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson has emerged as one of the NHL’s top young defensemen, you sometimes forget how young he is. Sanderson is still just 23 years old and remains somewhat reserved, bordering on shy, when dealing with the media.
That’s why his comments on Saturday night in Montreal were especially surprising coming from him. Instead of leaning on the usual clichés NHL players often use, a visibly irritated Sanderson took a hard run at the performance of rookie goaltender Leevi Meriläinen.
“Leevi made some good saves, but at the end of the day you need more than 10 saves to win a game,” Sanderson said.
The remarks followed an emotional night in Montreal, where the Canadiens rallied from a late 5–3 deficit to beat the Senators 6–5 in overtime. Sanderson was outstanding in the game, recording one of the best performances of his career with a goal and three assists.
When asked about his comments by The Athletic’s Julian McKenzie on Tuesday morning following the Senators’ game-day skate in Columbus, Sanderson clearly expressed regret over what he had said.
"Yeah, I mean, first off, I'm pretty embarrassed," Sanderson said. "I think, you know, that's a situation where after a game, (you should) take a few more minutes, take a few deep breaths.
"And I talked to Levy after it played and apologized, and, you know, I still feel really bad. Leevi's a great guy, and I think, you know, that's not what good teammates do. You don't tear each other down. You build each other up, especially after a game like that.
"So, yeah, I'm pretty embarrassed."
Sanderson's original comments sparked debate this week over players publicly calling out teammates. Some called it refreshing and appreciated the honesty; others called it unproductive and inappropriate.
Some have even suggested that it was less of a shot at Merilainen and more of a not-so-subtle message to management that this good young team needs a goalie who can play at this level.
When McKenzie asked again about goaltending, Sanderson admitted that there have been nights when it's been frustrating at times, but that's been true of every position on the team, his included.
"It's a team sport. There are times when the D core isn't playing well, there are times when the forwards aren't doing their job. So, I think there's just those ebbs and flows of the season.
"But at the same time, obviously seeing Linus come back, with him bringing his positivity to our team. We're very excited to have him back soon."
Sanderson then had a chance to say something nice about a recent goaltending performance, this one from veteran James Reimer in his Senators debut on Sunday.
"I thought he played awesome," Sanderson said. "For his first game, he was very sharp. "He grabbed a few guys in the D-core and talked to us about what he likes to do on the ice with communication and whatnot. But, yeah, he made some big saves."
All in all, it's been a good lesson for the Senators' most valuable player. Everyone makes mistakes, especially at 23, but now it's onward and upward; no harm, no foul.
And in making things right today, just as he does with a puck on the power play, Sanderson handled it perfectly.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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