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 will open the tournament as a seventh or eighth defenseman and as such, may see some time in the press box.
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 as the 7th D and possibly in the press box.
Unlike the 4 Nations Face-off or NHL game day rosters, which have 18 skaters, Olympic teams can dress as many as 20 (usually 13 skaters and 7 defensemen).
The Americans have a relatively easy preliminary schedule, which should earn them a bye to the quarterfinals. They'll face Latvia on Thursday, Denmark on Saturday, and 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 for any amount of time, then Team Canada's road to Olympic gold probably just got a little smoother.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
*This story has been updated to add information on larger Olympic rosters.
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