Nick Jensen has reached another important milestone in his recovery from offseason hip surgery.
Months after undergoing hip resurfacing in May, Jensen has progressed to the point where he skates regularly with the main group. What was interesting about Friday afternoon's practice was that Jensen was partnered exclusively with his regular defensive partner Thomas Chabot.
Jensen revealed to reporters after the practice that he would make his preseason debut in the team's final exhibition game Saturday in Montreal.
"I'm playing tomorrow," he acknowledged. "I didn't think it was a mystery (that I would be playing). I don't know if I'm supposed to keep my cards close to my chest, but I'm planning on playing and competing.
"It's exciting. Obviously, the timing of everything has been ideal. I had the whole summer to recover and train at the same time. Normally, I take the summer anyway to train. I just had to make sure I put the extra time to work on my hip, so going through all that and not really missing much time was important to me mentally. Hitting the ground here instead of, you know, trying to join the game midseason."
The importance of Jensen playing a preseason game cannot be understated.
Following offseason wrist surgery in 2024, Thomas Chabot was finally healthy last fall. And, after years of ineffective partners and poor fits, Jensen represented the talented right-shot defenceman that Chabot needed.
For the first three months of the season, Jensen was a catalyst for Chabot's resurgence.
Of all the defensive pairings that logged 400-plus minutes between October and December, only five pairings had a higher on-ice total goals for percentage (GF%) than the Chabot-Jensen pairing.
When they were on the ice together in the first three months, the metrics were exceptional. The Senators generated 54.52 percent of the shots (CF%), 54.98 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 59.62 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 54.49 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) per Natural Stat Trick.
Following Jensen's injury, the Senators' numbers with that pairing on the ice cratered relative to these first three months. In the 33 games that followed in the new year, the Senators generated 48.40 percent of the shots (CF%), 44.74 percent of the shots on goal (SF%), 46.67 percent of the total goals (GF%), and 44.33 percent of the expected goals (xGF%) when Chabot and Jensen were on the ice.
Now that he is finally healthy, Jensen is eager to push himself and try to return to his pre-injury form.
"Absolutely, that's a challenge in itself," Jensen admitted while describing how he is pursuing that goal. "Every year, injury or no injury, you have to make sure you come into the season planning to step your game up every year.
"It's not an easy thing to do. Guys in this league do it year after year. People watch that and say, 'Oh yeah, it's just easy. That guy just does it every year. He doesn't have to work at it.' We have to work at it every year to have good seasons and continue to improve season after season. That's probably one of the hardest things in this league, to continuously improve and play at that level."
When asked about the importance of Jensen's return to the lineup, head coach Travis Green acknowledged that the defenceman was not satisfied with his play after the injury.
"He played through (pain) a lot last year," Green told the media during his availability. A lot of pain. He probably wasn't on top of his game the way he wanted to be the last half of the year. So it'd be nice to see (a return to his previous level) for him and for us."
Jensen addressed some of the pain he endured last season.
"Getting out of bed some days was a horrible feeling, to be honest," the defenceman admitted. "Obviously, I'm far from the first person to play through an injury or pain, so I don't expect anyone to feel bad for me.
"People do it every year, but yeah, I remember the tough times of trying to get through some of that pain. So not having (pain) there this year, it feels really good."
Hopefully, being pain-free will allow Jensen to return to his pre-injury levels. If he can, it markedly improves the Senators' defensive depth. Coupled with the Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub pairing, the Senators will have two very strong pairings that can move the puck efficiently and sustain zone time in the offensive end.
While Jordan Spence has flashed glimpses of his strengths, his camp and preseason have been okay. Nik Matinpalo offers a nice blend of size and skating, but there have been some struggles this preseason in retrieving and moving pucks effectively. The highly regarded Carter Yakemchuk would be best served playing games in Belleville, where he can log big minutes in all situations and adjust to the pro game.
Having a healthy Jensen helps the Senators' slotting on the right side and allows the organization to be patient with Yakemchuk, while insulating Spence or Matinpalo on the third pairing.
Similarly, the prospect of Jensen being ready to start the season is significant. Rather than drop him into the middle of the season when everyone else has their timing and games of experience, Jensen can immediately be part of the mix.
Starting the season was always one of Jensen's optimistic goals.
"You hope for the best, but prepare for the worst," Jensen answered plainly. "I didn't want to (convince myself of), "Yeah, I'm gonna be ready in four months no matter what.'
"I didn't want to get to a point where I got to that four-month mark and I wasn't ready. Then mentally, you're just thinking, 'Is this gonna happen? Maybe not. Maybe my career might be done.' I didn't want to get into that. (I approached my injury) the same way I approach the season. It's game after game, period after period, shift after shift."
The rehabilitation process can be a mentally taxing grind, but Jensen's confidence has grown knowing that he has pushed his limitations and had his body respond positively.
"I've almost had those limitations pushed where I could," Jensen acknowledged. "I've tweaked it a few times where I've overextended, or there was internal or external rotation, and it hit a point that is like a stinger, and it lasts about five minutes.
"Those are the points that I pushed to where I know it's not going to continue to hurt after that. It's just the body lets you know, like, that's too far. I have hit those limitations and come back from them, so that's a good sign."
When asked whether he could contrast how he feels now with how he felt before the injury, Jensen stated that he cannot really discern any differences. The positive energy, stemming from feeling healthy and like his old self, was palpable, however.
It has helped fuel a renewed sense of appreciation for the game.
"It definitely is there, but right now, my mentality is making sure that I hit the ground running, and then I make the lineup. You never have a spot in this league set aside for you; you always have to earn it."
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