For all the media talk about getting goaltending being the key to Ottawa making the playoffs, or Tkachuk is the leader that drags them into the fight, or Stutzle being the electric #1 center that is dangerous every shift - Sanderson is the best player on this team and MVP. There's zero doubt in my mind about it.
Hockey is still a team game and no individual player can truly be the only reason behind a team's success (ok Hasek maybe), but without Jake this team would be screwed. And once the playoffs start, I think he's going to be even more critical; he's a big game player on top of everything else that's calm with a great work ethic and a student of the game. That poise and influence bleeds into everyone else around him.
I'm excited to see how the rest of the guys perform and can't wait for a healthy rested Tkachuk to finally taste playoff hockey, but Tkachuk has a tendency to try too hard instead of playing his game to maximum effectiveness so we'll see what happens there. Sanderson is the only guy on this team I don't worry about