A large part of why the Ottawa Senators won 45 games last season was the play of veteran defenseman Nick Jensen. Not because of who he was, but who he wasn’t. Nikita Zaitsev. Erik Gudbranson. Josh Brown. These are a few of the RHD brought in by former GM Pierre Dorion as potential suitors for Thomas Chabot, none of which produced the results the club was looking for.
As for Jensen, the 35-year-old was a breath of fresh air, being competent at defending and moving the puck, without making frequent trips to the penalty box, allowing Chabot to have the most effective season of his career.
Now that’s a cheeky chip 😄#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/9CfSR93ev5
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 23, 2024
At least in the regular season. Jensen suffered a lower-body injury during the season, causing him to miss 11 games. He played a good chunk of the campaign injured, and his performance in the playoffs indicated he was far from 100%. The strong play on the second pair that we haven’t seen in Ottawa in arguably 10 years ended up being all for naught in the games that truly mattered.
This post is for paying subscribers only
Subscribe now
Already have an account? Sign in