On the Oct. 22 episode of The Hockey Writers’ podcast – The Senators Roundtable, I and The Athletic’s new Ottawa Senators beat writer, Julian McKenzie, argued that the team has a goaltending problem (see the segment on goaltending starting at 12:32). Our argument was that starter Linus Ullmark was fine, but Ottawa’s backup goaltender backup Anton Forsberg needed to be better.
Based on what we’ve seen in the three games since that episode was recorded, I think McKenzie and I were too hasty in the criticism we levelled at Ottawa’s goaltending. Perhaps our fellow panellist, Dayton Reimer, had it right when he argued that what appears to be a goaltending problem is actually former head coach D.J. Smith’s legacy and a defence corps that still doesn’t measure up.
Questions About Ottawa Senators Goaltending in 2024-25
In the episode, McKenzie and I were reacting to what had happened to the Senators in the three games after Ullmark was injured in the Oct. 12 game against the Montreal Canadiens, forcing head coach Travis Green to turn to Forsberg. During those three tilts – against the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning – the Senators allowed 14 goals. Forsberg was barely an NHL-calibre goalie, recording a save percentage (SV%) of .865 and a whopping goals-against average (GAA) of 4.16.
When asked what I thought about that, I told the show’s host, Jacob Billington, “I think [the Senators] got a huge problem in net.” McKenzie added, “[Forsberg] needs to be better in goal right now. If he can’t get better, if you’re the Senators, then you need some other goaltender. I think if you’re Steve Staios (president of hockey operations and general manager), you should already be thinking, what contingency plan could be in place? What move can you do to get yourself a better backup goaltender?
Related: 5 Takeaways From the Ottawa Senators’ First Five Games of 2024-25
The concern we shared at the time was that as good as Ullmark is expected to be for the Senators over the next four years of his new contract, he can’t play all 82 games. His record bears that out. In 10 seasons in the league, he has never played more than 49 games in a campaign.
Whether it’s injuries or the need to rest Ullmark, Green will have to turn to his backup for as many as 30 games. Based on what we had seen of Forsberg until the game vs. the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 22, the night we recorded our show, I concluded that 20-30 games with Forsberg in goal “was enough to put the Senators in a whole world of hurt.”
Is Senators’ Backup Goaltending Really a Problem?
In five starts this season, Forsberg has an SV% of .895 and a GAA of 3.27. That’s approaching what could be considered adequate in a league where the average goaltender has a GAA of 3.00 and an SV% of .898.
Before the 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Oct. 27, Forsberg had an SV% of .904 and a GAA of 3.44. Those numbers took a tumble after the four goals he allowed against the Avalanche, but two of those goals and the loss could hardly be blamed on him. That lies with the spotty play of his defence, guilty of being unable to clear their zone and coughing up turnovers that led to goals. (I’m talking about you – Nick Jensen and Travis Hamonic).
Over his career, Forsberg has a GAA of 3.11 and an SV% of .905. That doesn’t rank among the lofty heights of the 2024 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, but it is good enough that the Senators can play with confidence in front of him, knowing that he’ll keep them in the game on most nights.
The question is whether Forsberg can do that consistently in the 20 to 30 games he’ll be called upon to play this season. Perhaps he can. Since being pulled against the Kings on Oct. 14, he has looked strong. Yet, maybe Forsberg isn’t what Steve Staios should be worried about.
In addition to dealing with the poor play of Ottawa’s D-corps, Forsberg has been adjusting to the expectations of a new coaching staff. He has also had to endure the constant churning of goalies during his tenure in Bytown. Since Craig Anderson left Ottawa at the end of the 2019-20 season, the Senators have had 14 goalies.
Even so, the Senators’ depth in goal is a question mark. Belleville’s Mads Sogaard – with just 28 NHL games over the last four seasons, with an SV% of .881 and a GAA of 3.53 – has shown he needs more time to develop. Beyond the 6-foot-7 Dane, there’s not much else in Belleville that the Senators could tap if needed.
Senators Need to Work With the Goaltending They Have
Many teams would envy the Senators. Few teams boast a Vezina Trophy-winning starter with a career GAA of 2.52 and an SV% of 9.18 backed up by a goaltender like Forsberg, who can be brilliant but inconsistent from time to time.
It’s easy to call for Staios to trade up for a better puck-stopper to replace Forsberg as backup. In fact, the San Jose Sharks’ MacKenzie Blackwood, who becomes a free agent at the end of this season, was suggested by host Jacob Billington as a trade target. Yet, that’s easier said than done with the Senators’ limited cap space and the likely difficulty of unloading Forsberg, given his struggles over the last few seasons. The Senators need to work with what they have in goal – at least for now.
