OTTAWA — Norris Trophy-calibre defencemen don’t grow on trees, but there is one rooted in Ottawa.

As the Ottawa Senators bloom from their rebuild, the 2020 fifth-overall pick is central as they head to the 2026 playoffs. 

“He’s a Norris defenceman for a reason,” said the Senators’ captain Brady Tkachuk. “When you have a top-five defenceman in the NHL back in your lineup, it just gives you a boost of energy.”

The Toronto Maple Leafs have never had a Norris Trophy winner. In Ottawa, first it was Erik Karlsson. Now, Sanderson has taken the mantle as a Norris-worthy defenceman. 

“He’s a beast,” said Tkachuk. 

In the playoffs, the intensity ratchets up, and so do the minutes for your No. 1 defenceman.

It’s mono e mono in the Eastern Conference. Whether the Senators go up against Jaccob Slavin in Carolina, Rasmus Dahlin in Buffalo, Lane Hutson in Montreal or Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay in the first round, the Senators have as good as they’ll get in Sanderson. 

What separates Sanderson from other elite defencemen is his ability to neutralize the McDavids and Kucherovs while also becoming a consistent 60-point producer. When Sanderson is on the ice, he has the third-fewest expected goals allowed per 60 minutes of any defenceman in the league, while routinely playing the league’s most skilled players every night. 

He’s only 23 years old, too. Sanderson is signed well into his prime, until 2032. 

“Not surprising,” said Senators head coach Travis Green about Sanderson’s elevation as a player. “I’ve said this a lot. He’s a special player. He’s still getting better. He loves the game. He’s well-prepared, consummate pro. And we just try not to overcoach him.”

It might be a bold claim, but this writer wholeheartedly believes Sanderson is the best defensive defenceman in the league with his mix of size, speed and elite hockey IQ. The playoffs could be the moment when the rest of the league wakes up to his prowess. 

Sanderson is 17th in the NHL in wins above replacement this season, according to Evolving Hockey, despite missing 12 games due to a separated shoulder. 

When Sanderson returned, the Senators won four in a row to vault into the playoffs, even including a self-professed “rusty” first game. He tallied six points in his first six games back, including three goals. 

How good Sanderson becomes offensively will determine his ceiling as a defenceman and, likewise, his team’s potential. Sanderson has a career-high 14 goals this season and has been producing at a 66-point pace. 

There is reason to believe he’s starting to realize his offensive capabilities, specifically his speed to burn defences.

He’s scoring around the net. In his last four games, Sanderson has a breakaway goal, a drive-to-the-crease goal and a rebound tap-in. 

“I think not just using (my speed) to lose gaps on the defensive side of the game, but to beat guys one-on-one,” said Sanderson.

“I think this year, too, I found myself scoring a lot more goals around the net, which is kind of unique as a defenseman, but just using my skating and just getting to the hard areas. I’m not trying to be a perimeter player and (instead) just taking it to the net. And I think (I’ve) found some pretty good success that way.”

He’s also becoming an excellent power-play quarterback. The Senators’ power play went from top 10 to 24th in the stretch without Sanderson. Since his return, they have six power-play goals in five games. 

Tim Stutzle emphasized how integral Sanderson is to the power play; the duo combined for a beautiful Sanderson breakaway against Carolina last week. 

“He’s just really smart, so he reads the other team’s defence,” said Stutzle.

So, what are the holes in Sanderson’s game? Hard to say. He’s faster than almost everybody, as smart as they come, and the only blemish isn’t really one: It’s how much dynamism and creativity he reaches offensively. It means if the Senators’ second and third pairs can play well in the playoffs, it could thrust them over the top.

The other hidden storyline to watch for during the playoffs is Sanderson’s partnership with Artem Zub. 

Among defensive pairs that have played over 400 minutes this season, Sanderson and Zub are third in expected goals share at five-on-five — they dominate their minutes at five-on-five. In a playoff series when you’re trying to shut down Sebastian Aho or Tage Thompson, there may be no better duo.

“I think just our comfortability with each other, just knowing our tendencies, knowing where you know each other are going to be, where we want the puck and where we’re going to be confident with it too,” said Sanderson. “So, we’ve been teammates for four years now. We’ve grown confidence and grown our friendship off the ice, which helps, for sure.”

Another aspect that could propel the hockey sponge forward into the post-season is what he learned from his Olympic experience among the game’s greats. 

“I think just the preparation, the mindset and the confidence of all the guys there you play against, you’re playing with all the big dogs in the league,” said Sanderson. “So, I think it was just such a cool experience for me to soak in. I learned so much just from being around the best players in the world. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

To be the best, you must learn from the best.

“I’m learning, and I want to do what those high-end guys do on a nightly basis, like the Quinn Hughes’ and the Zack Werenskis,” Sanderson said. “Obviously, just being around them, seeing what they do on a day-to-day basis, was really cool.”

Those two have the edge in the offensive department but definitely not on the defensive side of the game compared to Sanderson. 

His captain affectionately called Sanderson “boring” early this season in recognition of how dialled-in he is on conditioning, his preparation and body. 

“When he got hurt, he was already throwing the weights around, so I knew he wasn’t going to be missing a step, and that’s just who he is,” said Tkachuk. 

You want your best defenceman to be as driven as they come. Talent matched with work ethic makes superstars.

Everything is set for Sanderson to drive the Senators forward throughout the post-season. The better he is, the longer the Senators will be playing this spring.

Scoring punch: An underrated storyline is the Senators’ growth offensively. They were second-last in five-on-five goals last season; this season, they are eighth in goals per game at five-on-five. In the playoffs, special teams matter, but the whistles get swallowed, which means an ability to score at even strength is paramount, which Ottawa has shown the ability to do.

Tkachuk injury: Green said Tkachuk is feeling better, but he needed a rest on Sunday night against New Jersey. All signs point to Tkachuk being ready for Game 1 of the playoffs.

Playoff scenarios: If Boston loses in any fashion in its season finale, and the Senators win against Toronto, the Sens will have the first wild-card spot and likely face the winner of the Atlantic Division, which is still to be determined. If Ottawa suffers an overtime loss and Boston loses in regulation, Ottawa would be WC1, too. However, if Boston wins its final game against New Jersey, the Senators are almost certainly playing the Carolina Hurricanes in Round 1. 

Resting is smart: The Senators didn’t dress Sanderson, Tkachuk, Stutzle or Thomas Chabot against New Jersey. All are banged-up and are needed for the post-season. It was the right call and should continue into Game 82.