Senators' Stubborn Patience With Jared Cowen Continues

Though he may only be 24-years-old, it's been a long time coming for Jared Cowen to blossom into the strong, shut-down defenseman that Senators' management promised the hockey world would envy.

We've waited. Quite patiently.

And not that the towering Saskatoon native can only be to blame for his lack of growth as a trusted player in the organization; he was definitely rushed.

At the age of 19, Cowen played his first game with the Senators, and by age 20, he had completed his first full 82-game season. Now, after appearing in well over 200 NHL games, Cowen's only stint in the AHL was in the 2012-13 season when he was sent down for just three games. His development was hurried, and now the team…