As he did in his only preseason game, Sanderson left early in the Sens' regular season opener in Toronto and did not return.
The Senators had lingering questions about Jake Sanderson’s health all through preseason. Unfortunately, those questions likely aren't going away anytime soon.
After playing one period of preseason hockey, Sanderson suited up on Saturday night for the Sens regular season opener, but left the game in the first period after just six shifts. Early in the second period, the team announced he would not return.
Earlier in the game, as he battled former Senator Nick Paul, Sanderson appeared to awkwardly extend his leg along the boards. Sportsnet cameras later caught footage of the Senators' top defenceman on the bench, punching the boards in frustration.
Sanderson missed practices during training camp because of an undisclosed injury and didn't make his preseason debut until the Sens' final exhibition game against the Montreal Canadiens on September 26.
That return didn't last long either.
Sanderson played 13:22 against the Montreal Canadiens before leaving in the second period. The Senators described his departure that night as precautionary, and head coach Travis Green said afterward that he didn't expect Sanderson to miss any time.
But Sanderson subsequently missed more practice time, which until Saturday, is all the Sens have had since the NHL season began. The Senators said the issue that caused him to miss practice following the Montreal preseason game was different from the one that had bothered him earlier in camp.
He finally returned to a full team practice on Friday, one day before the opener and understood that it might take a minute to get up to sped.
"Obviously, I've only played one period of preseason," Sanderson said Friday. "I think, for me, I (need to) control what I can control, and that's my effort and my mindset, making sure I'm locked in."
There's no word yet on whether his exit Saturday has anything to do with the either of the issues that bothered him in camp. But it's more than reasonable to suspect that it does.
The timing would be terrible for a Sens blue line that's already without Sanderson's usual partner, Artem Zub, who continues to work his way back from a knee injury.
Simply having Sanderson available for opening night seemed to be good news for the Senators. Now, after his early departure, his health issues have instantly shot back to the top of the club's early season storylines.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
