Stemming back to the offseason, goaltending was the biggest need to address for the Ottawa Senators. Coming into the 2024-25 season with Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg as the tandem wasn’t going to cut it, so general manager (GM) Steve Staios took a big swing and hit a home run by acquiring Linus Ullmark, who has been phenomenal. Unfortunately, he has spent a good chunk of time injured, but Leevi Merilainen has emerged as a quality NHL goaltender, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Merilainen Instilling Confidence in Fanbase, Team & Management
At the start of the season, most people would have agreed that despite being a promising prospect, Merilainen was the fourth-string goaltender. Ullmark, Forsberg, and Mads Sogaard were ahead of him on the depth chart, but after a great stretch of games, it has become clear that he is the second-best goaltender in the organization.
Through six appearances this season, including five starts, Merilainen has a 4-2-0 record, a 2.34 goals against average (GAA), and a .913 save percentage (SV%). While it is a much smaller sample size, the GAA and SV% are nearly identical to what Ullmark has so far. He had also posted his first career shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 11.
Merilainen has some strong advanced stats too. According to MoneyPuck, Merilainen has a goals save above expected per 60 minutes of 0.66, which ranks fourth in the league among goaltenders with at least five games played. This is the kind of performance that the Senators need out of a backup goaltender.
During a press conference on Jan. 12, Staios had been asked about the depth in the crease and responded by saying that he has confidence in what the Senators have, even with Ullmark out.
Throughout the course of the rebuild, goaltending has been a sensitive topic for the Senators. Throughout the struggles of goaltenders like Matt Murray, Korpisalo, Cam Talbot, and a slew of sub-NHL caliber goalies, the Senators finally have confidence in the crease, and it is the perfect time as they currently sit just one point out of a playoff spot.
Related: Merilainen Leads Senators to 3-2 Victory Over Stars
Merilainen has been an intriguing prospect ever since he was drafted. After struggling in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kingston Frontenacs, he opted to return to his home nation of Finland and play in the Liiga. When playing in the league, he had an outstanding rookie season, posting a record of 18-13-8 with a .917 SV%, which ranked fifth in the league. On top of that, his GAA of 2.02 was also fifth in the league, and his eight shutouts tied for the most in the Liiga, but also had set a record for rookie goaltenders.
After his one season in the Liiga, Merilainen joined the Senators’ pro organization, playing in the American Hockey League and ECHL. He didn’t have excellent numbers in those leagues, but some goalies take longer to adjust to the smaller ice surface. Since joining the Senators at the NHL level this season, he has been fantastic.
In a post-game interview after the Senators’ 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars, Merilainen was asked how he felt about his current workload and playing in back-to-back games, where he allowed just a total of two goals on 55 shots. His response was quite simple, stating that he was just doing his job and was happy to be there.
Reports from the media, players, and other members of the team all state that Merilainen is a quiet person and is just there to do his job. His presence off the ice seems to perfectly match his on-ice play. When watching Merilainen play, he isn’t a sporadic goaltender, and as said multiple times on broadcasts, he is cool, calm, and collected.
Moving Forward with Merilainen
The Senators have a pretty easy decision to make once Ullmark returns from injury. Merilainen has drastically outplayed Forsberg for the backup role, and to move forward with anything outside of the duo of Ullmark/Merilainen would be hurtful to the team. There has been chatter that Staios is looking for a goalie, but considering the play of their young goaltender, it could check one item off the list ahead of the trade deadline.
The future of Forsberg isn’t as clear. There could be a team willing to give him a chance, and if not, the Senators could waive him, hoping he clears and remains as an additional option if need be, but having Merilainen in the NHL is the right call moving forward. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, Forsberg has a .887 SV%, which simply isn’t good enough. The Senators players deserve the best available roster, and unfortunately, right now Forsberg can’t be a part of that.
