The Senators have set themselves up for a goaltending decision that could shape their training camp.
Ottawa signed Leevi Merilainen to a one-year, $1.1 million deal for the 2026-27 season, and the contract is a one-way NHL deal. That matters. It gives the Senators another layer in net, and it also signals they were not willing to risk losing the 23-year-old for nothing.
Merilainen’s new deal comes after a season that was uneven at the NHL level. He began the year as Linus Ullmark’s clear backup after flashing real promise in a short NHL look in 2024-25, but that grip on the job slipped quickly.
Early struggles pushed him down the depth chart, and the Senators eventually leaned on veteran James Reimer, who had signed as a free agent just before the season. Reimer held the backup role the rest of the way in the regular season and into the playoffs, while Merilainen went back to Belleville.
In Ottawa, Merilainen finished with an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage in 20 appearances. In Belleville, he looked much more like the prospect the Senators had hoped for. He went 8-8-1 in 19 games with a 2.77 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage.
The Finnish goalie was drafted by Ottawa in the third round, 71st overall, in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has played 34 NHL games and has posted a 39-29-6 record, a 2.59 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage in 84 career AHL games.
The new contract also puts a bigger question on the table: do the Senators actually keep three goalies on the NHL roster?
That setup is becoming more common around the league, and the Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes used it this season. For Ottawa, the idea has some appeal because of Ullmark’s history.
He has never started more than 50 games in a single NHL season, and last year was another reminder that the Senators can’t assume he’ll always be available. He has been injury-prone in Ottawa, and he has also been open about his mental health challenges.
The team knows it has to manage his workload and his overall well-being carefully if it wants the best version of him.
A three-goalie setup with Merilainen, Ullmark and newcomer Samuel Ersson would give Travis Green more flexibility and add experienced NHL insurance if injuries hit.
But there’s a catch. It may not be the best path for Merilainen’s development, especially with the goalie now 23.
If Ottawa decides against carrying three, the Senators still have a tricky problem to solve. Nobody is waiver-exempt, which means both Merilainen and Ersson would have to clear waivers before being sent to Belleville.
For now, the one thing that stands out is simple: Ottawa made sure Merilainen wasn’t walking away for free. The contract says the Senators still believe he can turn into an NHL goaltender. The only question left is where he fits.
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For the Senators, the hold-up is about more than one veteran forward. Giroux has been central to their plans, and his free-agency process has left Ottawa in a familiar position for a team trying to build forward without losing flexibility. The longer this stretches out, the more it affects how the front office can approach the rest of the market, and it leaves the Senators waiting on one of the most important answers of their offseason. [Read more 🡒]