The Senators' struggling netminders are costing them crucial points, which may force the club to look for a solution in goal.
Stop me if you've heard this one before… the Ottawa Senators need a goalie.
This is a conversation that nobody expected to have at the beginning of the season. Just last year, the Senators ended an 8-year playoff drought on the back of some of the best goaltending in the NHL.
Linus Ullmark, Anton Forsberg and Leevi Meriläinen combined for 10 shutouts, tying the Winnipeg Jets and Hart trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck for the most in the league.
The Senators were also tied for the 7th-best team save percentage (.902) last season.
Leading up to 2025-26, goaltending was last on the list of concerns, despite a shaky performance from Ullmark in the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs (which probably deserved a bit more attention, in hindsight).
But those days feel like ancient history, because there is, once again, a massive question mark in Ottawa’s crease.
After game number 41, the exact halfway point of the NHL season, the Senators are dead last in the league in team save percentage with a .871. After 41 games in 2024-25, they were 14th.
The issue has been amplified since Ullmark took personal leave on December 29th, leaving Meriläinen with the starter’s job in the middle of an underwhelming second NHL season.
But the Senators’ star netminder is having a terrible year.
According to NHL.com, 32 goalies have started more than 20 games, and Ullmark’s .881 save percentage (28GP) ranks 31st. Meriläinen has been worse, if you can imagine. He has 44 goals against and a .869 save percentage in 14 GP.
Last season, Ullmark had a .910 save percentage, and Meriläinen had a .925. They were excellent.
Not only have they taken a step back from last year, but they have each been borderline unplayable.
Their play is costing the Senators too many points in the standings for management to be complacent and preach patience. Team President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Steve Staios recently held a mid-season media availability and backed the team’s goaltending depth.
But behind the scenes, panic has to be setting in. The Senators are a pretty good team, even elite in several crucial categories, yet their goaltending is making them mediocre, at best.
Ullmark is now away from the team indefinitely on personal leave in the middle of a career-worst season, and Meriläinen is so far removed from the rookie who burst onto the scene last season that the Senators must find a solution in the crease to salvage their playoff hopes.
30-year-old Hunter Shepard did not inspire confidence during his relief appearance for Meriläinen in Monday night’s loss to Detroit.
Maybe it is Mads Søgaard, who was called up on Tuesday for the short road trip to Utah and Colorado. He appeared in just 2 NHL games last season - allowing 8 goals on 40 shots.
Injury troubles derailed his season last year, and this year’s 2-8-3 record for the Belleville Senators is unflattering (despite a .887 save percentage). Still, the Dane is an intriguing prospect. In 2023-24, he went 18-9-3 with a .916 save percentage for Belleville.
But if the 25-year-old is just more of the same at the NHL level, Staios needs to do something before the Senators waste a magnificent season from some of their top players.
Here are some meat and potatoes team statistics during Tim Stützle’s active 13-game point streak:
Last 13 Games Played (league rank)
- 7-5-1 (16th)
- 25.4 shots against per game (5th)
- 31.5 shots per game (4th)
- Team save percentage .873 (27th)
On the back of remarkable play from Stützle and Jake Sanderson, the Senators have been able to stay afloat in the extremely competitive Eastern Conference. They are within striking distance of a wildcard spot, just four points back, but so are six other teams in front of them (including the Leafs and Florida Panthers, two teams that finished above the Senators last season).
To separate themselves from the logjam, the goalies simply have to be better. All they need to do is be a bit closer to league average, and the Senators should have no problem making the playoffs again.
Whether it’s Ullmark, Meriläinen, Søgaard or a new acquisition, the Senators desperately need someone to take the bull by the horns in the second half.
They need a goalie.
Jack Richardson is a writer for The Hockey News covering the Ottawa Senators. He has a background in local news, working as a video journalist for CTV. He also co-hosts the Locked on Senators postgame show. Follow Jack on Twitter and Instagram @jackrichrdson.
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