Blue-line boost nears for Senators with Sanderson, Zub closing in on a return

Jorian Donovan, seen in a September 2025 file photo, made his season debut with the Ottawa Senators when they faced the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. Photo by JULIE OLIVER /Postmedia

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Help is on the way for the Ottawa Senators’ banged-up blue line.

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Jorian Donovan made his season debut with the Senators when they faced the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre and became the ninth defenceman to suit up for the club in the seven games it has played this season.

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The Senators took another hit on Monday in the club’s 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center when blue-liner Nikolas Matinpalo left in the first period after being slammed into the boards by winger Anthony Mantha.

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Coach Travis Green told reporters after the game that “it was pretty obvious” what the injury was, which means that Matinpalo likely suffered a concussion. He left the game, and that meant the Senators were forced to finish the night with only five defenders.

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There is no timetable for Matinpalo, but he had stepped up to play a key role with the injuries the club has faced among its defence corps early in the season. He’s capable, reliable and would likely be a regular with most teams in the National Hockey League.

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Nikolas Matinpalo of the Ottawa Senators is attended to by a trainer after being hit by Anthony Mantha of the New Jersey Devils (not pictured) during the first period at the Prudential Center on Monday night. Photo by Andrew Mordzynski /Getty Images

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The Senators went into the visit by the Blues with a 5-1-0 record, the club’s best start since 2007-08, but at some point you have to wonder when all these injuries are going to catch up to them.

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They’ve found a way to win, but a lot of that success has to do with goaltender Linus Ullmark and timely scoring, particularly from top centre Tim Stutzle.

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What about Sanderson and Zub?

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The Senators have been able to win without their top pairing of Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub.

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Green told reporters before facing the Blues that both skated on Tuesday and are closing in on a return. The absence of both has been a cause for concern among the fan base.

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“Expecting both in the next couple of days,” Green said.

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Sanderson left midway through the club’s season opener on Oct. 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs when he aggravated an undisclosed lower-body injury he suffered in the pre-season on Sept. 29 against the Montreal Canadiens.

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That injury was separate from the one that kept Sanderson out of the first week of training camp. He has been skating on his own but has yet to join the Senators for a practice.

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Ottawa Senators defenceman Artem Zub, seen in a file photo, hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in the playoffs against Carolina. He skated with the Senators before they played Nashville on Saturday. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia

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Zub is a different story.

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He hasn’t played since he suffered a knee injury after hitting Seth Jarvis in Game 1 of the club’s playoff series last spring against the Carolina Hurricanes. Zub didn’t have surgery to repair the ailment and has been skating since he arrived back in Ottawa in August.

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The 31-year-old Zub, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, was scheduled to be ready for the start of the season, but Green told reporters during camp that he “suffered a setback” that pushed back his timeline.

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Zub skated with the Senators before they faced the Nashville Predators at home on Saturday, so he may be closer than Sanderson.