The Sens may have a leadership problem

The Senators' loss to the Habs on Saturday seems to have hurt the Ottawa team more than the lost point

The Sens blew a two-goal lead late in the third to lose 6-5 in overtime.

What really caught the eye, however, were the comments of Jake Sanderson, who didn't hesitate to blame goaltender Leevi Meriläinen for his team's defeat.

Jake Sanderson kept it transparent when talking about Levi Meriläinen and the Sens goaltending tonight against the Habs

(h/t: @SunGarrioch) pic.twitter.com/WbbddwwLfh

– TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 18, 2026

The Sens goaltender allowed six goals on just 19 shots, but his team also slacked off in the third period to allow the Canadiens to overcome a two-goal deficit.

Ottawa gave up another two-goal lead in the first period last night against the Red Wings in Detroit, losing 4-3 in overtime with James Reimer in net.

The visitors allowed 34 shots to the Wings, compared to just 22 for them.

Linus Ullmark's situation is hurting the Sens. However, the problem may not only be in front of the net, but also in the leadership of the locker room.

Nicolas St-Pierre and Tony Marinaro discussed the situation in Ottawa, and according to St-Pierre, for a guy like Sanderson, who is usually discreet, to make this type of comment shows how the rest of the team thinks, and it's a clear message that the players would like to have reinforcements.

Things are hopping in Ottawa…

Do Jake Sanderson's comments suggest a lack of leadership in the Senators locker room?#lesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro @Nico_StPierre pic.twitter.com/f0eAMvcPMs

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) January 19, 2026

On the other hand, Marinaro believes that this kind of comment shows that leadership isn't at its best for the Ontario club and that the team culture isn't very good.

In his opinion, the team still needs more leadership, despite the presence of players like Brady Tkachuk.

And yet, the club has a few veterans like Claude Giroux, David Perron, and Lars Eller, who would normally bring some of the leadership and experience it needs.

However, this may go some way to explaining why the Sens are in a bit of a slump this season, six points out of the final playoff spot after taking part in spring ball for the first time in eight seasons.

Overtime

– Our Olympians.

Alexandre Texier , Oliver Kapanen , and Juraj Slafkovsky at an Olympic edition photoshoot for Hockey Le Magazine pic.twitter.com/uCodc7Lvvu

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 20, 2026