Despite dazzling Ottawa fans again this season, Jake Sanderson may still have a lot to prove to Team USA.
When USA Hockey named Jake Sanderson to represent America at the 2026 Winter Olympics this month, Ottawa Senators fans weren't remotely surprised. They've watched Sanderson on a nightly basis, and they're often left slack-jawed by what he does with his high-octane skating and sublime puck skill.
But as the Americans began skating this week in preparation for their opener this Thursday against Latvia, it appears that Sanderson may be tracking toward a healthy scratch status to open the tournament.
The Athletic's Mike Russo, reporting at the Americans' practice, posted the line combinations and D pairings on social media on Sunday.
Sanderson was an injury replacement and the seventh D at the 4 Nations Faceoff last year, but eventually got to play in two games for the Americans, who lost the final in overtime to Canada. Since then, Sanderson has become an even better player, and he's frequently been the best player on the ice this season.
His 43 NHL points place him third among defensemen on the current American Olympic roster behind only Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes.
So it was a surprise to see him relegated to what appears to be a 7-8 role with Anaheim's Jackson LaCombe. No, you can't always predict pairings based on one practice, but combined with all the projections out there, it looks like Sanderson will start the Olympics in the press box.
The Americans have a relatively easy preliminary schedule, which should earn them a bye to the quarterfinals. They'll face Latvia on Thursday and then Denmark on Saturday. If Sanderson doesn't play in those games, it's a good bet he may see some action in part two of a back-to-back when the Americans face Germany next Sunday.
If Sanderson is only a part-timer at these Olympics, that will serve up mixed emotions for Senators fans. On the one hand, as fans of the player, they'd love to see him live out the best-on-best Olympic dream and pull some confidence out of the experience.
On the other hand, they also know that if the Americans opt to staple Sanderson to the bench, then Team Canada's road to Olympic gold probably just got a little smoother.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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