Ottawa Senators trim roster, hold their breath on Jake Sanderson

Ottawa Senator Jake Sanderson sits in the stands watching practice at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa on Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. Photo by Tony Caldwell /Postmedia

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The Ottawa Senators finalized their roster on Monday night, but it’s not a finished product.

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After a full skate, Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, along with coach Travis Green, made final decisions on the 23-man roster that had to be submitted to the National Hockey League’s head office by 5 p.m.

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Eight players on the roster are new faces who weren’t on the club’s roster to start last season. Three players — Warren Foegele, Kurtis MacDermid and Artem Zub — were placed on injured reserve.

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While it was surprising that the Senators released veteran defenceman Ben Hutton from his professional tryout, there were no shockers on the list of players the club retained. But this roster isn’t finalized because the injury status of several key players is to be determined.

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The Senators don’t open the season until they face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena, so the club still has time to get some of its top players healthy.

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The latest on the injured

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The biggest concern is the status of top defenceman Jake Sanderson.

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He has been dealing with an undisclosed ailment for the last six days and wasn’t on the ice during the club’s skate on Monday after leaving Saturday’s 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at home midway through the second period.

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Coach Travis Green told reporters that he expects Sanderson to be ready to play the Leafs. He could be on the ice for the club’s skate on Tuesday. Sanderson watched from the stands as the players went through their paces Monday.

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“As far as Sandy goes, it wasn’t related as to why he was gone for three days,’ Green said. “It was something else. I think he’s going to be fine. I think he’s going to practise (Tuesday).”

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That would be good news because the club is already without veteran defenceman Artem Zub.

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He didn’t have surgery, but he is still not ready to play after a knee injury he suffered in Game 1 of the club’s first-round series loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in April. The Senators believed he would be ready to start the year, but that’s not the case, and there is no timetable for his return.

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Green bristled at a suggestion that he’s not being forthcoming about injuries.

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“Zub, for example, I thought he was going to come back sometime in camp, and when I said that I wasn’t lying,” Green said. “Zub had a setback, and now he can’t play.

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“There is no change. He’s not going to start (the season). He’s skating and I wish I could tell you more.”

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Veteran Cameron Crotty and rookie Hoyt Stanley are with the team right now, but it may not stay that way. As long as Sanderson is ready to play on Saturday, the expectation is Stanley will be sent to Belleville.

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Forwards Shane Pinto and Warren Foegele were both full participants in the skate on Monday. While Pinto had missed a few days with an undisclosed ailment, it was Foegele’s first practice with the team.