Jake Sanderson's ceiling, 1 word to describe Bedard, and 4 other NHL items

There's an awful lot of uncertainty surrounding the Ottawa Senators.

Questions swirl around the involvement level of new owner Michael Andlauer, the job security for head coach D.J. Smith, the trade market for winger Alex DeBrincat, the options between the pipes - and that's just the high-level stuff.

Something the Senators don't have to worry about? Jake Sanderson's ceiling.

The rookie defenseman wasn't named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, so he won't be at the NHL awards show Monday in Nashville. However, given the state of Sanderson's game - mature and well-rounded - you can bet he'll be invited to future awards gatherings as a contender for the Norris Trophy.

Seriously, don't be shocked if Sanderson's counting stats pop as a sophomore and by his third or fourth year he's being strongly considered for the Norris. The details of his three-zone game are already pretty polished. More NHL experience, a jump in points, and team success should vault him into the elite tier of defensemen who can impact the game in multiple ways.

"A lot of the D-men coming up are more focused on offense than defense. Jake's different," DeBrincat told theScore prior to Ottawa's second-last game of the season, a 4-3 loss to Buffalo on April 13. "He's got that old-school mentality of protecting the front of our net before going on the attack."

The tracking data from Sportlogiq backs up DeBrincat's insight.

A total of 289 NHL defensemen, including 10 on Ottawa, logged 100 minutes in 2022-23. On a per-game basis, Sanderson finished first on the Sens and fifth in the league in blocked passes. He also ranked first on his team in puck-battle wins (21st in NHL) and blocked shots (10th), while ranking second in stick checks and outlet-pass completions, third in zone entries, and fourth in zone exits. Keep in mind the Sens' blue line isn't filled with a bunch of AHLers; Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, and Artem Zub are on the top two pairings.

So, the eye test and underlying numbers both suggest Sanderson's a high-end defender at 20 years old. Often trusted by Smith to shut down the other team's best line, he skated for 21:55 a night in all situations. Sanderson, an incredible skater and evasive puck mover, pitched in offensively, too, trailing only Owen Power for points by a first-year defenseman with 32 in 77 games.

"He thinks like an offensive guy when he's playing defense, if that makes sense," Sens winger Drake Batherson said. "It's a huge advantage for him and for us that he knows what the attacker will want to do offensively, and then he's one step ahead of them to defend it. Honestly, he's just a treat to watch."

"I can't even imagine what Jake's going to be like when he's 27," he added.

Sanderson recently switched his representation to super agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder's entry-level contract expires after next season, which means he's eligible to sign an extension on July 1.

Now, that extension shouldn't be atop the to-do list for Sens general manager Pierre Dorion. There's too much uncertainty elsewhere. But the new deal shouldn't be far down the list, either. Assuming he avoids injury in Year 2, Sanderson's stock will only rise - and rise exponentially - moving forward.

One word to describe Bedard

Connor Bedard, the most hyped hockey prospect since Connor McDavid, will officially become a member of the Chicago Blackhawks next Wednesday. Bedard roasted the WHL for 71 goals and 72 assists in 57 regular season games in 2022-23, somehow exceeding the sky-high expectations for his draft year.

If I could use one word to describe Bedard at this moment between junior and pro, it'd be "alien." Both his shot and hockey sense are otherworldly.

At the scouting combine in early June, I asked 13 of Bedard's draft class peers to pick just one word to describe the next great Connor.

Leo Carlsson, forward: "Incredible."

Brayden Yager, forward: "Generational."

Jakub Dvorak, defenseman: "Unpredictable."

Tanner Molendyk, defenseman: "Special."

Andrew Cristall, forward: "Greatness."

Carson Bjarnason, goalie: "Humble."

Nate Danielson, forward: "Exceptional."

Gracyn Sawchyn, forward: "Dynamic."

Matteo Mann, defenseman: "Complete."

Zach Benson, forward: "Exceptional."

Larry Keenan, defenseman: "Impressive."

Caden Price, defenseman: "Exceptional. Elite. One of those, probably."

Jakub Stancl, forward: "Not human. Yeah, that's two words …" (Laughs)

Sizing up the 2023 goalie crop

Four goalies have been selected in the first round over the past four drafts.

Florida picked Spencer Knight at 13th overall in 2019, Nashville tapped Yaroslav Askarov at 11th in 2020, and Detroit and Minnesota picked up Sebastian Cossa and Jesper Wallstedt at 15th and 20th, respectively, in 2021.

There's a decent chance a goalie goes off the board in the first round this time around. Overall, though, 2023 lacks a true stud like the highly touted Askarov.

"It's a pretty average crop. It's not outstanding, and it's not poor," Washington Capitals assistant GM Ross Mahoney said Thursday on a conference call. (The longtime scout sprinkled in a bit of humor: "I'm sure some of them will prove me wrong in the future here.")

The scouting service HockeyProspect.com lists five goalies in the top 50 of its final ranking of the entire 2023 class. Michael Hrabal, a 6-foot-6 Czechia native playing in the USHL, comes in at 24th; Slovak Adam Gajan, who was eligible for last year's draft, is 35th. Italian Damian Clara and Americans Jacob Fowler and Trey Augustine are bunched in the mid-40s: 44th, 46th, and 48th.

"There's a beautiful blend of different talent at the position this season," reads a section in HockeyProspect.com's draft guide. Fowler and Augustine are "ultraefficient and technically proficient." Clara and Gajan are "freak athletes."

"What separates Hrabal is he has arguably the best blend of these qualities," the scouting service gushes. "His hockey sense isn't as high-end as Fowler's or Augustine's, and his athleticism isn't as high-end as Gajan's or Clara's, but (Hrabal) is the most well-rounded when you look at the total package."

To sum up industry consensus: Expect a run on goalies in the second round.

Parting shots

Hockey Hall of Fame: If I had to choose one or the other, I'd rather Curtis Joseph be inducted, not Mike Vernon. I'd also rather have two women's hockey players enshrined in November, not just Caroline Ouellette. It's insane that Alexander Mogilny remains on the outside looking in after not only stringing together a Hall of Fame-caliber career but also being a trailblazer for European players. However, none of these complaints compare to my No. 1 issue with the Hall: its lack of transparency. The secrecy surrounding the annual induction announcement taints the entire process. Transparency wouldn't eliminate criticism, of course, but at least the public would be better informed and thus move on to celebrating the inductees faster. In the current setup, we don't even know if Mogilny has ever been nominated. How foolish.

Combine hero: Caden Price, a strong-skating, left-handed defenseman for the Kelowna Rockets, puked out his breakfast prior to the fitness tests at the scouting combine in Buffalo in early June. "Little nervous, but I think I had some acid reflux. I couldn't keep it down," Price told me afterward. By the end of the day, the projected second-rounder's name was all over the high-achievers list released by Central Scouting. Among 100-plus combine participants, he finished with a top-20 score in seven different categories, most notably recording the fourth-highest vertical jump. Now that's an athlete!

Calgary Flames: A fascinating experiment is underway in Calgary. In trying to avoid a repeat of what happened last offseason with unrestricted free agent Johnny Gaudreau, new GM Craig Conroy is asking for commitments from the club's core pieces. Noah Hanifin and Tyler Toffoli have both expressed they don't plan on re-signing, while Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund are both "leaning towards" not re-signing, according to Daily Faceoff. All four are set to become UFAs in July 2024. On one hand, Conroy's gaining valuable intel on the Flames' future, and if he wants, the team can start shopping the players. On the other hand, it's almost as if Conroy's created problems for himself by being so proactive, giving not one but four players an out on their remaining time in Calgary. There's no guarantee any of them will be traded, and hey, maybe a couple ultimately re-sign. If it all works out wonderfully for Calgary in some form, Conroy could look like a genius. If it doesn't ... well.

Takes, Thoughts, and Trends is theScore's biweekly hockey grab bag.

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).