Are The Ottawa Senators Playing With Fire Or Found Money With Goaltender Samuel Ersson?

As the Ottawa Senators continue living life without veteran goalie Linus Ullmark due to injury, they’ve relied on Samuel Ersson. There have been concerns about what would happen without their star goalie, Ullmark, but for now, the Sens are happy with what they’re getting from Ersson as their second-stringer in his first season with Ottawa.

Ersson is an intriguing figure. Have the Senators been playing with fire by acquiring him? Or is his current strong play an equivalent to found money?

Certainly, there was a reason Ersson bounced out of the Philadelphia Flyers organization. From the time he made his NHL debut in the 2022-23 season – where he posted a save percentage of .899 – to last season, Ersson’s SP plummeted each year to the .870 level last season. Ersson didn’t get the job done, and there’s no two buts about it. 

So, when the Flyers walked away from him this past summer by trading him to the Toronto Maple Leafs – who promptly re-packaged Ersson to Ottawa in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick – Ersson had to feel humbled.

The Senators essentially gambled on Ersson, signing him to a team-friendly contract paying him $2.2 million per season. Despite being 27 years old and having 152 games of NHL regular-season action under his belt, Ersson has been starting from scratch this year.

And it’s fair to say the results have been mixed.

It’s a fact that, despite appearing in nine games thus far this season, Ersson didn’t get his first win of the year until his fourth start on Oct. 31 against the San Jose Sharks. And in Ottawa’s win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday, Ersson stopped 30 of 32 shots for a .938 SP. It was the fourth game in a row where Ersson’s SP was at .909 or better, so the Senators have to be happy with that. But overall this season, Ersson has an .889 SP and a 3.14 goals-against average, which isn't ideal.

That said, once Ullmark returns, Ersson will be back in the No. 2 goalie spot – that is, if third-stringer and former Tampa Bay Lightning goalie Jonas Johansson doesn’t steal it from him.

Johansson’s numbers this season (.848 SP, 4.60 GAA) are worse than Ersson’s, but he’s only a couple of years removed from an .895 SP and a 3.13 GAA. It’s true Johansson put those totals together with a Lightning team much better than the Senators, so if Ersson struggles to adapt to a backup role, Johansson may leap him in the Sens’ goalie depth chart.

The Senators need Ullmark back as soon as possible if they’re to be a playoff team in the killer Atlantic Division. But until then – and again when he’s assigned the backup goalie position – Ersson has to hold the fort. He doesn’t need to steal games for Ottawa – all he has to do is give his team a chance to win.

Ersson has had brief stretches of effectiveness in his parts of five NHL seasons, so his stock is still relatively low, for good reason. He has to be effective as a starter until Ullmark returns, and in spot coverage after that. And until he does that, you have to look at Ersson with a skeptical eye. 

He’s having a good run right now, but until he thrives consistently, Ersson will have his doubters – and Senators fans will be right to question his acquisition. Ottawa GM Steve Staios got Ersson for a song, but he was available because he couldn’t carry the ball. Ersson may change people’s minds, but for now, people are going to reserve judgment.

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