Sanderszn just got a whole lot longer

Winter will have to take a back seat because Sanderszn is officially the longest season in Ottawa! The Senators have locked down their young defenceman to an eight-year extension that will keep Sanderson in the nation’s capital through the 2031-32 NHL season with an AAV of $8.05 million.

There was seemingly no learning curve for Sanderson as he burst onto the scene last year during his first NHL season. Establishing himself as a top four defenceman on the Senators, playing a larger role on the blue line than was expected of him coming into the season. His immediate impact landed him on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team.

Sanderson built a reputation during his time at the University of North Dakota as a defenceman with an incredible ability to move the puck with a scoring touch to match. His 41 points in 45 games at UND transitioned pretty seamlessly into four goals and 28 assists for 32 points in 77 games as a rookie in the NHL.

Pierre Dorion continues his trend of locking up this exciting core to compete together for the next half decade or more. With Sanderson on board for the next decade, the Senators now have eight players signed through 2026-27.

With this much talent signed on, there’s seemingly no limit to what the Senators will be able to accomplish in the future. One thing is for sure though, with Sanderson helping to anchor the blue line, the hockey here is going to be a lot of fun to watch!