CHICAGO — Jake Sanderson was in a funk. The Ottawa Senators defenseman wasn’t happy with his game and needed help.

His team was already trying to shake the blues after a lengthy mid-November losing streak threatened to derail their season. Sanderson was also dealing with the weight of personal expectations, specifically being snubbed from the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off when it was announced on Dec. 4.

That same day Sanderson texted skills coach Jonathan Sigalet, a 39-year-old former pro defenseman who works with dozens of NHLers, from established stars to fourth-liners. The dejected Sanderson asked if Sigalet could watch Ottawa’s next few games and provide feedback. Sanderson didn’t request anything further, so Sigalet treated the assignment like an artist working on a blank canvas.

“For a guy who’s at the level he (is),” Sigalet said, “that’s a pretty humble message to receive.”

Sanderson took Sigalet’s feedback to heart and committed to improving his offensive and defensive skills, picking up the slack when teammates Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto and Josh Norris were injured and out of the lineup. And as his team turned its season around, he’s filled the stat sheet in clutch moments. Earlier this month, Sanderson reached the 40-point mark in a season for the first time in his NHL career with a three-point night against the Washington Capitals, one of the league’s best teams.

“His game has just gone up, I would say, probably since November. He’s been unbelievable,” Senators assistant coach and former NHL defenseman Nolan Baumgartner said.

As the Senators pursue their first playoff berth since the 2016-17 season, Sanderson’s play is a crucial reason why they are currently positioned to succeed. And he feels there’s still room to grow.

“I want to defend like a Jaccob Slavin,” Sanderson told The Athletic earlier this month. “And I want to skate like a Zach Werenski. I want skills from all those guys.”

Sanderson entered the 4 Nations break with 21 points in his previous 28 games, including four points against the Minnesota Wild in a 6-0 win. Days later, the Senators played the Florida Panthers in their final game before their pause, losing 5-1. While many of his teammates would remain in the Sunshine State for vacation, Sanderson planned on getting over his disappointment of not making the national team with a trip to Costa Rica.

But those travel plans quickly changed once the U.S. management team got a hold of the 22-year-old Sanderson and informed him that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes was sidelined due to injury, opening the door for Sanderson to join the roster.

“I was just so excited,” Sanderson said. “I wanted it so bad in the first place and I was pretty bummed I didn’t get invited.”

Sanderson only logged two appearances for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, averaging 18:26 of ice time. But one of those games was the championship final in which he scored to give the Americans a 2-1 lead against Canada.

“It was unbelievable,” Sanderson said. “Definitely one of my favorite hockey memories, for sure. Just so cool being amongst some of the best players in the world. I feel like when everyone comes together and you represent your country. It just means so much more.”

Senators forward David Perron said his phone blew up with texts from “friends around the league and on other teams” who were impressed by the young rearguard.

“Sometimes you think you know players,” Perron said. “But you don’t realize how good they really are until they play against the world’s best players and find a way to be a factor. I think his skating, his edgework is top-five in the league.”

The praise for Sanderson wasn’t just limited to fellow Ottawa players. His American teammates and coaches took notice, too.

“We really like his game,” Team USA and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said, specifically calling out Sanderson’s high hockey IQ, stick detail on defense and ability to join the rush, among other qualities. “He’s a terrific player, he’s a young player with respect to the group. But he’s an emerging star in this league.”

Sanderson was listed as a Tier 4 star in The Athletic’s season-opening player rankings in September — three tiers below Hughes, one below Slavin and at the same level as Werenski.

He scored seven points in his first five games, but as the Senators floundered early on, so did Sanderson: Over his next 19 games, he registered just seven points.

“I think I had a little slow start (to my season),” Sanderson said. “I feel like when the team’s playing good, you play better individually.”

After he connected with Sigalet, the skills coach would watch two games a week and send Sanderson eight minutes of narrated video. Sanderson would then watch clips of his play as Sigalet’s voiceover explained what he could do better and how some of the league’s best defensemen — including the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Victor Hedman, the New Jersey Devils’ Dougie Hamilton and the New York Islanders’ Noah Dobson — would carry out his concepts.

“A lot of it’s just like reinforcing the good things they do,” Sigalet said. “And re-encouraging some things that they do well — that maybe the process was right, but the result wasn’t there — so they don’t shy away from it just because it didn’t work out in a particular situation.”

Last Saturday, Sanderson scored a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs thanks to Sigalet’s advice. The defenseman took advantage of open space along the left side of the offensive zone — Sigalet calls it “getting lost” — and patiently waited for Tim Stützle to fire a pass from along the opposite wall.

Sigalet notes that the right winger in those situations is often responsible for that weak-side defenseman. Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner marks Sanderson on an initial shot that happened moments earlier, but because he’s also preoccupied with guarding the high slot, he drifts to his right to cover Senators forward Claude Giroux. Sanderson, meanwhile, peels to his left and freely hovers around the left face-off circle.

“A lot of times that D in Jake’s position will just stand out at the blue (line),” Sigalet said. “Jake recognizes that no one’s covering him. He’s free and gets himself in a good scoring position where he’s inside the dot below the circles, which is pretty much where you have to be to score these days.”

All winning NHL teams need game-breakers to take them to the next level. Tkachuk and Stützle have proven to be those guys for Ottawa. The sky-high potential was always there for Sanderson. And there’s time for Sanderson to continue rounding out and smoothing his game. His five-on-five metrics, according to The Athletic, can still improve.

“I feel good,” Sanderson said. “It obviously helps when the team’s winning and we’re playing pretty well. I’m just feeding off the other guys and their confidence. I’m having a lot of fun right now.”

But there’s reason to believe he can be so much more. And some in Ottawa think he could be on track to reach a superstar trajectory.

“He’s going to be legit,” Stützle said. “Top two D-man in the world, I think so, if he’s not already. He’s sick. He’s so fun to watch. Just what he does on a nightly basis. Great skater, so patient. His defensive game, too. It’s so elite for his young age. Yeah, we’re lucky to have him.”

Adds Baumgartner, “We have conversations about playing like Nicklas Lidstrom did. He never pressed. He played hard. He played good defense, had a great stick. But when he got an opportunity to shoot the puck and put it at the net he did that. It wasn’t overly fancy, it was just simple.

“I think if Jake plays like that, he’s going to turn into defending like Slavin and skating like Werenski.”