Six Ottawa Senators head to the Olympics, all hoping to return home with precious medals.
For the first time in 12 years, NHL players are at the Winter Olympics. An entirely new generation of the best hockey players in the world finally gets the chance to make their true international best-on-best debut.
Six Ottawa Senators are suiting up. Stars Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk and Jake Sanderson, along with depth players Lars Eller, Nikolas Matinpalo and Mads Søgaard, will represent their countries.
The last time NHL players competed was in 2014 in Sochi. Senators star defenseman Erik Karlsson helped lead Sweden to a silver medal, tying American Phil Kessel for the tournament lead in scoring with 4 goals and 4 assists in 6 games.
Karlsson was around the same age as Stützle, Tkachuk and Sanderson in those games, and all eyes will be on the Senators’ trio of stars in Italy.
Each will likely play a significant role in helping their countries compete for a gold medal. Stützle for the underdog Team Germany, while Tkachuk and Sanderson suit up for Team USA, which is arguably the best all-around team in the tournament.
These three are franchise players for the Senators, but it should not be discredited how important these games could be to each of their careers when all is said and done.
Look no further than the greatest player in franchise history, Daniel Alfredsson.
In 2006, he won a gold medal with Sweden, leading the team in points. Alfredsson has now been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his performance in Turin was undoubtedly one of the key reasons why.
I’m not suggesting Stützle, Tkachuk, or Sanderson are tracking to be in the Hockey Hall of Fame at this point in their careers, but standout performances like Alfredsson in 2006 or Karlsson in 2014 would be their most significant achievements to date and would certainly be a step towards building Hall of Fame-worthy resumes.
But what is the likelihood that the Senators’ big 3 can stand out in a tournament with superstars playing in depth roles on some teams?
Let’s start with Stützle, who has been named assistant captain of the German team.
Germany is not expected to medal. Despite being joined by star players like Leon Draisaitl, Moritz Seider, and J.J. Peterka, Stützle’s squad just doesn’t have the same depth as some of the other top dogs in the tournament.
However, if the Germans can keep their preliminary round games close, their top-end talent is up there with most of the other countries. They would likely shine in 3-on-3 overtime, and Stützle is a big reason why.
If Team Germany is going to medal, Draisaitl and Stützle will probably have to be at or near the top of the point-scoring leaderboard.
Of the 3 Senators, Stützle is carrying the most momentum into Italy. He’s riding a 5-game goal streak and capped it off with a beautiful overtime winner in the team’s final game before the break.
If his play in the 2021 World Junior Championship is any indication of how he will look in the Olympics, he could be one of the best players in the tournament. It will be exciting to see how he elevates his game on this stage.
Onto the Americans.
For Senators fans, Tkachuk and Sanderson play for the enemy for the next two weeks. It was weird last year at the 4-Nations Face-Off, and it will be weird again at the Olympics.
That tournament was a coming-out party for Tkachuk. He was arguably Team USA’s best player, scoring 3 goals in the 4 games, including one in the Championship game against Canada.
The Americans are heavy favourites to medal and represent the greatest threat to take down Canada for gold. If Tkachuk is a key factor on the first gold-medal winning American team since the Miracle on Ice in 1980, he will be a household name for hockey fans south of the border.
I suspect the opportunity in front of him is something he is well aware of, and we will see the best version of Tkachuk at these Olympics.
That also means Tkachuk has the most pressure on him of the Senators in Italy. His podcast, hosted with his brother and USA teammate Matthew, has spent a lot of airtime hyping up these Olympic Games. If they fail to win gold, it will be gut-wrenching for this American team to sit on that for another four years, and that includes the Senators’ captain.
He won’t wear a letter on his jersey, but make no mistake, he is one of the leaders on Team USA. I think these Olympics are pivotal for Tkachuk. Expectations should be sky high for the 26-year-old.
Finally, Sanderson is in a bit of a different spot than his teammates, because the Americans are stacked on defense. He will have to work his way into a key role for Team USA, which he did at the 4-Nations Face-Off.
Quinn Hughes’ injury gave him a spot in the lineup, and he produced a go-ahead goal in the Championship game.
But Sanderson’s defensive game is what makes him elite, so points won’t necessarily define his Olympics. If he steps up and plays a shutdown role on this stacked American blueline, that is a successful best-on-best debut for the 23-year-old.
If he chips in offensively, with players like Quinn Hughes and Zach Werenski presumably already doing the same, Team USA will be a force.
The bottom line is that these 3 players are in the middle of their primes and have a chance to shine on the world’s biggest stage in hockey. Can’t ask for much more if you are a Senators fan during this extended break.
Can Stützle, Tkachuk or Sanderson raise their game to the same level as other franchise icons at the Olympic Games?
Jack Richardson
The Hockey News
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