Goaltending woes defined the first half of the Senators' season, but things gradually improved. So what's next?
As the Senators held their exit meetings and final media availabilities on Monday, the seasonal performance of goaltending was one of the hot topics of discussion.
In the first half of 2025-26, it's been well-chronicled that Ottawa was handcuffed by poor play from Linus Ullmark and Leevi Merilainen. It set them back to the point where they had to go on a furious 21-6-3 run just to get the last playoff spot, and for their efforts, they were swept by an elite Carolina team right out of the gate.
On Monday, as the team said goodbye for the summer, GM Steve Staios admitted some responsibility for how the goaltending plan played out.
"When I talk about making decisions to help this team move forward, the one where we didn't do a good job was on the backup position initially," Staios said. "And we still believe in Leevi in saying this."
Staios' goaltending plans were maybe overly optimistic because he was asking his goalies to go out and do something they've never done. For the kid, Merilainen, it was asking a 23-year-old to be a full-time backup for the first time, playing behind a veteran who's never hit the 50-game mark in games played.
For Ullmark, it was asking him to bump up his games-played count. And based on his usage in the first three months, they had him on pace to start over 60 games.
The success of each plan was directly tied to the other, and neither worked out particularly well.
In a condensed schedule, Ullmark started 28 of the club's first 37 games, which put him on pace for 62 starts. Only Utah's Karel Vejmelka started more games in the NHL this season. In Game 28, Ullmark was pulled in Toronto, later admitting to feelings of panic, and left on a personal leave of absence.
The Senators hoped they could lean on Merilainen as the starter, a strategy that worked nicely the year before. Over the next ten games, Merilainen started them all and struggled to regain the form he'd had in the previous season.
Staios could see the young Finn was leaking oil, so the Sens acquired free agent James Reimer on January 12. Five days later, a 6-5 overtime loss at home to Montreal sealed Merilainen's fate. Jake Sanderson would apologize later, but he told the media that night, "We need more than 10 saves."
Merilainen was then sent to the minors, a move that amounted to an admission from Staios and his staff that they had misjudged his NHL readiness.
"(Merilainen's) numbers were better than any of the alternative (backup) goaltenders that we're looking at. And so I don't think we... I didn't do a good enough job of supporting Linus and that position, and probably didn't put Leevi in the best position to have success as well."
After Ullmark got back from his personal leave of absence on January 25, he spent a week as a backup, started two games, and then it was time for another long break for the Olympics.
Afterward, the goaltending generally improved.
Ironically, after the position took so much of the blame during the regular season, Ullmark was Ottawa's best player in the playoffs. After all he'd been through this year, Ullmark was thrilled he was able to be at his best at the most important time of the year.
"That was very nice," Ullmark said. "You know, it was the first real time in this whole season where I felt like myself again, and I could do what I thoroughly enjoy to do. It didn't feel like a chore. It didn't feel exhausting. It felt motivational and inspirational.
"And truth be told, it felt weird as well because you've been battling so hard the whole season, trying to find a groove and trying to find a way of performing. And now you do it at the top of your game, and you're still losing. So it was a little bit of a surreal feeling."
Ullmark rediscovering his game and motivation was happy news for Staios, who put a lot of faith in the veteran netminder. He gave up some good Senator assets in 2024, then signed him that fall to a four-year, $33 million contract extension. But he's also happy for Ullmark on a personal level.
"For everything that he went through this year and the courage that he showed, and for him to play the way he did, I think we were all very proud of him," Staios said.
Now, as Staios moves into his third offseason as GM, by his own words, he needs to provide Ullmark with better support during the long grind of the regular season. It's become crystal clear that his number one goalie requires a 50-mission cap on his games played, maybe even a true platoon situation, as he had in Boston with Jeremy Swayman.
At 38 years old, could James Reimer still play that much, providing that level of support beside Ullmark?
When The Hockey News-Ottawa asked Reimer on Monday about any conversations he may have had with the team or whether he has an interest in coming back next season, it was interesting to hear the pending UFA speak in the past tense when describing his time here.
"We just had our exit meeting and whatnot," Reimer said. "I mean, I really enjoyed my time here. The guys were great. The city was great. The fans are great. I mean, the energy in the building on a nightly basis was a ton of fun. And again, I'm just super grateful for the opportunity.
"Obviously, I'm not 23 years old. I've just gotta take some time and kind of figure out what the best plan of action is for my family and me."
Last season, because of age, it was an ambitious plan to think that Merilainen was capable of a big NHL workload. Next season, because of age, it might be another ambitious plan to think that Reimer is still capable of a big NHL workload.
Reimer (UFA) and Merilainen (RFA, arbitration-eligible) are both looking for new contracts. If the Senators decide they need to shop for a goaltending upgrade on Reimer or Merilainen, that's a task that's far easier said than done, because almost everyone is searching for goaltending depth solutions.
However they get there, with their wagon hitched to Ullmark for three more years, there is no option but to provide him with an effective running mate capable of starting 35 games.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News