Senators leaders offer support for Linus Ullmark while expressing confidence in Leevi Merilainen being able to step up.
After the Sunday announcement that Linus Ullmark was taking a personal leave of absence, Ottawa Senators goaltending was a hot topic of discussion in the CTC media scrums on Monday morning. Local reporters huddled with the club's leadership group of head coach Travis Green, captain Brady Tkachuk and alternate captain Thomas Chabot.
While the club announced in a prepared statement on Sunday that they would have no further comment on Ullmark's specific situation, all three men were asked about Ullmark.
Chabot: "Yeah, I mean, I think the only thing we can say as a group is we're there for him, we're here to support him. You don't want to see any of your teammates or friends go through any of this. So, from top to bottom, from the organization to us, players in the room, we're all there with him, and we're going to support him as best as we can through this time for him."On the
Tkachuk: "Yeah, I don't know much, and obviously, we've just got to respect everything that's going on. But whenever you have a teammate going through something like that, he knows that our whole organization is backing him. And for us as teammates, it's just not always be there for him and whatever he's going through, that he knows that we're always there and he's such a big part of our team on the ice, off the ice that we're always there for him."
Green: "I'm not going to make a lot of comments about it. The team made a statement yesterday. It's a personal matter out of respect to him. As far as our team, obviously, it's a big piece of our team, but from an individual standpoint and caring about Linus, we want nothing but the best for him, and that's what's most important."
While they'll certainly be thinking about Ullmark and checking in on whatever he's going through, they also understand the show must go on. All three men say they have great faith in Leevi Merilainen, Ullmark's understudy, as he takes over the starting duties for the foreseeable future.
Chabot: "Yeah, I mean, it's like we always say, it's part of the NHL. You're going to miss some players, some big pieces in your lineup, and it's the group in front of them (Merilainen and call-up Hunter Shepard) that has to step up and play some even better hockey. And I think part of that is making sure we're taking care of winning some hockey games that make it even better for Linus during this time."
Tkachuk: "He (Merilainen) doesn't say much, but he's a stone-cold killer. He's an ultra competitor. He wants to win so bad. He's not going to be the most vocal guy in the room, but it just shows out there how much he competes, how much he battles and how much he wants to win. So I know with him, his actions speak a lot louder than words, and he's played great for us so far this season. So I'm excited to see him in net and for all of us to just do our jobs tonight and try to help him out as much as we can."
Green on whether Merilainen likes to play a lot: "I think everyone likes to play a lot. There's not a player in the NHL who doesn't want to play as much as he can. He also understands that he is the backup, but he's also hungry to play. So I'm excited for him."
Meriläinen has a goals-against average of 3.40 and a save percentage of .874 this season. But he posted excellent numbers in an emergency role last season, when both Ullmark and Anton Forsberg went down with injuries. Perhaps a return to the comfort level that comes with knowing he's the nightly number one option again will serve Merilainen well.
One thing's for sure. While we sincerely wish Ullmark nothing but the best in his LOA, the fact remains, cold as it may seem, that he hasn't left his understudy with a particularly tough act to follow.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News - Ottawa
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Steve Warne is the Ottawa Senators site editor at The Hockey News. Steve has covered the Senators since day one, first as Sports Director for Rogers Radio in Ottawa on AM 1310 and FM 105, then as the long-time host of the morning show at TSN 1200 radio, the Sens' flagship station. Steve is also the owner and host of The Sens Nation Podcast.