Have the Senators Found Jake Sanderson's Perfect Partner?
Ever since I watched the Edmonton Oilers’ Jari Kurri and Wayne Gretzky play so well together, one thing I have always found interesting about building a hockey team is that great players play better with a solid partner. We often talk about the star. The points. The awards. The highlight-reel plays.
But sometimes the player standing beside the star is the reason everything works. That might be the case in Ottawa with Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.
Zub has been gold for Sanderson because he allows him to play his game.
The Senators’ top defensive pairing ranks among the better pairings in the NHL, and the reason is simple. Sanderson brings the skill, the skating, and the offensive creativity. Zub brings the steady, dependable defensive game that allows Sanderson to take chances.
That balance matters because Sanderson has become one of the most important players in the Senators’ future. At just 24 years old, he has already established himself as one of the league’s better two-way defencemen. He finished 10th in Norris Trophy voting in each of the last two seasons, and if he can stay healthy, it would not be surprising to see him receive even more attention.
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Sanderson has posted strong underlying numbers over the past few seasons.
Last season, despite missing time, Sanderson still produced 54 points and finished with a plus-16 rating in 67 games. Those numbers tell part of the story, but they do not explain everything he brings to the ice. He moves the puck. He drives play. He can play big minutes. He can influence a game in ways that do not always show up on the scoresheet.
However, every offensive defenceman needs someone who can cover for him when he attacks. That is where Zub fits perfectly. The Russian defenceman is not the player who will get the headlines. He is not chasing Norris votes. He is not putting up 50-point seasons.
But he does the tough things well. He wins battles. He defends the front of the net. He makes smart decisions. He gives Sanderson the confidence to play his game.
Zub and Sanderson have high WAR numbers.
The pairing’s combined 2025-26 WAR of 3.70 helps put their impact into perspective. WAR, or Wins Above Replacement, is a statistic that tries to measure how much a player contributes compared to a readily available replacement player. It is not a perfect number — no statistic can fully measure a defenceman’s value. However, it suggests that Sanderson and Zub are providing meaningful value every night. One brings the skill and offensive push; the other provides the defensive foundation.
Their combined 2025-26 WAR tells only part of the story. Hockey is still a game built around chemistry, trust, and knowing that the player beside you has your back. For Ottawa, that relationship could become one of the franchise’s foundations.
The Senators have been searching for stability and consistency for years. Having a young, potential Norris Trophy candidate on one side of their top pairing and a reliable shutdown defender on the other gives them something every successful team needs.
A little bit of brilliance. A little bit of toughness. And a partner who makes the star even better. That’s what the Senators have in the Sanderson and Zub partnership.