RALEIGH, N.C. — Late last season, as the Senators were chasing their first playoff berth in eight years, defenseman Jake Sanderson told The Athletic that he wanted to improve his game in Ottawa’s end by emulating one fellow NHL blueliner in particular.
“I want to defend like a Jaccob Slavin,” Sanderson said in March 2025.
This was one month after Sanderson shared a locker room with the Hurricanes’ Slavin as members of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where the Americans lost to Canada in the championship game. Slavin was often paired with another blueliner, but Sanderson clearly took note of his active stick work and shutdown prowess.
The two defensemen went on to win Olympic gold medals together with the U.S. in Milan, avenging their defeat against Canada. Now they are sharing the ice as rival stars in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And Slavin has noticed Sanderson’s continual growth.
“He’s unbelievable,” Slavin told The Athletic on Friday. “His feet, his legs are unbelievable. I don’t know if he gets tired out there. And obviously he can make plays with the puck, too. I enjoyed my time with him at the Olympics. He’s a great kid off the ice, loves the game, wants to learn, but really, he just plays both sides of the puck really well.”
Defense has been top of mind for Carolina and Ottawa in their series, which opened with a 2-0 Hurricanes victory in Game 1. But this showdown between two elite defensemen was overshadowed by the teams’ structural similarities, mutually standout goaltending, and a series-opening fight between captains.
The 23-year-old Sanderson is rising in prominence as a two-way, all-situations force who gains more and more consideration for the Norris Trophy with each passing year. At a time when the position is loaded with Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Rasmus Dahlin and other high-end talents, Sanderson ended the 2025-26 season in the top 10 among defensemen in time on ice (24:50) and the top 15 in points per game (0.81). It remains to be seen where he’ll stack up in this year’s Norris conversation, but he’s proven he already belongs.
“He’s just getting better every year,” Senators centre Tim Stützle said. “I’m not surprised at all. I don’t think anyone should be surprised anymore how much better he gets everywhere. He’s just excellent in every single area of the game, and it’s just a joy to watch.”
“He’s an elite player,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said of Sanderson. “So, if you think (Slavin) is an elite player, you have to say Sanderson is an elite player. I think they’re different, the way they play, but he is an elite player. There’s no doubt about it.”
Then there is Slavin, one of the game’s most effective shutdown defensemen who consistently plays top-pairing minutes against other teams’ best players. In Game 1 against the Senators, Slavin skated a 4:08 game-ending shift to help secure his team’s 2-0 victory.
“That’s his time to shine,” Brind’Amour said of Slavin. “If he feels like he can stay out there, you’re gonna give him that benefit of the doubt.”
Because Slavin doesn’t rack up points as the league’s best defensemen do, the two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner sometimes doesn’t get the Norris love he deserves. But that doesn’t make him any less effective against opposing puck-handlers.
“I think his stick is extraordinary,” Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot said. “Obviously, he’s a big body, he’s a good defender at both ends, but especially defensively. I think it’s the way he defends. He’s always got his stick in the right place.”
“He’s been a prominent defenseman for a long time. He’s really good at what he does,” Senators coach Travis Green said. “He’s been a top defenseman in the league for a while.”
Slavin and Sanderson experienced injuries in their lead-up to the playoffs. Slavin only played 39 games this season, battling a series of issues including a lower-body injury that caused him to miss 29 games. But even if he only finished with one goal and eight points, he remained analytically sound while playing alongside defenseman Jalen Chatfield, according to MoneyPuck.
PairingMinutesxG%xG/60xGA/60
Slavin-Chatfield
513.3
54.8%
2.79
2.3
The pair’s effectiveness continued into Saturday, when it allowed the fewest on-ice shot attempts of any Canes defensive duo at five-on-five — excluding the temporary pairing of Chatfield and Alexander Nikishin that played 37 seconds together.
Sanderson, meanwhile, missed a month after leaving an early March game against the Seattle Kraken clutching his right shoulder from a hit by Kraken defenseman Brandon Montour. But Sanderson returned for five games in April, including the day Ottawa clinched a second consecutive playoff spot on April 11, recording points in four of those games.
On Saturday, Sanderson was the Senators’ most-used player, logging 27:25. The Senators especially leaned on him after losing his partner, Artem Zub, to injury. Green provided no update on whether Zub will be back in time for Game 2, which ultimately means more work for Sanderson. And more reason for the Hurricanes to work to shut him down.
“We have to make sure we don’t allow time and space for our forwards,” Slavin said. “(We) have to do a good job tracking above him and taking away his options.”
The feeling is mutual for Slavin, whom the Senators have to solve — along with the rest of the Canes — to produce offensively in this series.
“When you’re in the playoffs, you’re playing against the best teams in the National Hockey League,” Chabot said of Slavin. “Each team is going to have that type of extremely talented defenseman. So, it’ll be on us to find a way to throw him off his game.”
