The Ottawa Senators have signed goaltender Leevi Meriläinen to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth an average annual value of $1.05 million.

Meriläinen, 22, split the 2024–25 season between Ottawa and their AHL affiliate in Belleville. In 37 games with Belleville, he posted an 18-12-7 record along with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.

He also saw action in 12 games for the Senators, putting up even better numbers than his AHL performance. It was especially impressive for such a young goaltender with limited NHL experience. The Oulu, Finland native went 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA, a .925 save percentage, and three shutouts. He even had a fourth shutout in the bag through regulation, but lost it in overtime against Washington.

To recap, that makes one-third of Merilainen's 12 games where the opponent couldn't score on him in regulation. His ability to hold the fort during such a bad run of injuries to the goalies ahead of him on the depth chart was a big reason Ottawa managed to clinch its first playoff spot in eight years.

This also signalled the end of Anton Forsberg’s time here after four and a half years with the club. *Forsberg signed as a free agent with the LA Kings on Tuesday. GM Steve Staios said the plan is for Merlainen to be Ottawa's full-time backup, while the Sens look to sign another goalie to complement Mads Sogaard in Belleville.

Meriläinen was drafted 71st overall by the Senators in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft. He was the third-rounder they got in the Dylan DeMelo trade, so there's a chance he can still salvage what was then a pretty underwhelming return for what could have been an important player for them.

In all, the young Finn has appeared in 14 NHL games and 65 AHL contests to date. In those 65 AHL games, he holds a 31-21-8 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

*This article was updated with new information to clarify the Senators' goaltending status for next season.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa

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