Leevi Meriläinen Heads to Belleville: A Reset for a Young Goalie Still Full of Promise
With Linus Ullmark nearing his return to the crease, the Ottawa Senators made a move Tuesday morning that felt both inevitable and necessary: Leevi Meriläinen is headed back to Belleville for an AHL reset.
In a corresponding shift, the Sens called up Hunter Shepard, who will back up James Reimer on the current road trip until Ullmark is ready to go. Ullmark, who’s been on the non-roster list, is expected to travel with the team this week, signaling that his return could come at any moment.
For Meriläinen, this isn’t a demotion as much as it is a recalibration.
Let’s be honest: the 23-year-old netminder has been in the deep end lately. He started 11 straight games for Ottawa, finishing that stretch with a 4-5-1 record and a 3.61 goals-against average.
His last outing - a six-goal, 19-shot night in Montreal that ended in a 6-5 overtime loss - looked like a young goalie whose confidence had taken a serious hit. And that’s not surprising.
He’s been under the spotlight, facing NHL-level pressure night after night with inconsistent support in front of him.
It’s a far cry from the Meriläinen we saw last season - the one who stepped in during a goaltending crisis and went 8-3-1 with a sparkling 1.99 GAA and a .925 save percentage. That version of Meriläinen didn’t just survive at the NHL level - he thrived. He gave the Senators a fighting chance when they desperately needed one.
But this season? It’s been rough.
Overall, Meriläinen holds an 8-10-1 record with a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage. Since the start of January, he’s gone 4-3-1, but the numbers still paint the picture of a goalie trying to find his footing.
And that’s okay.
The Senators believed he was ready. Turns out, he wasn’t.
That’s not an indictment of Meriläinen - it’s a reminder of how difficult it is to project goaltender development. This one’s on the organization.
Evaluating when a goalie is truly NHL-ready is one of the toughest jobs in hockey. Meriläinen is still young by goalie standards, and now he’s had a taste of both the highs and the lows.
The good news? Belleville’s upcoming seven-game road trip offers the perfect chance for a reset.
No home crowd pressure. No headlines.
Just hockey. It’s the goalie equivalent of a hard reboot - a chance to get back to basics, regain confidence, and return to form without the weight of NHL expectations.
This move doesn’t mean the Senators are giving up on Meriläinen. Far from it.
If the organization remains patient - and avoids the kind of overreaction we’ve seen before with young goalies like Filip Gustavsson - Meriläinen still projects as a strong long-term piece. He’s arbitration-eligible this summer, so there’s a decision looming, but the focus right now should be on development, not judgment.
In hindsight, the ideal scenario would’ve seen Meriläinen playing big minutes in Belleville until age 25, while Ullmark handled the bulk of NHL starts and a veteran backup like Reimer filled in where needed. That’s the blueprint.
But hockey rarely sticks to the script. Injuries, performance swings, and roster needs forced Ottawa to pivot, and Meriläinen was thrust into a role he wasn’t quite ready for.
Now, they have a chance to course-correct.
Ottawa continues its three-game road trip Tuesday night in Columbus, while Belleville kicks off its own seven-game road swing Wednesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. And for Meriläinen, this stretch could be exactly what he needs - a chance to breathe, reset, and get back to being the goalie who once looked ready to save the season.