It’s time for the Ottawa Senators’ goaltending to start paying dividends.
They’ve needed that to be the case most of this season, but it’s paramount that it happens now with the Senators trying to make the playoffs for the second straight spring.
As the Senators prepare for a back-to-back weekend starting with a visit by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday and the San Jose Sharks on Sunday at the Canadian Tire Centre, the club needs strong efforts from top goalie Linus Ullmark and James Reimer in the net.
Coach Travis Green doesn’t typically announce his starter until game day and he wasn’t asked who would be in net to face the Ducks at 1 p.m. after the club’s 23-minute skate on Friday.
Ullmark wasn’t very good, stopping only 20 of 23 shots in the club’s 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night, while Reimer is coming off a 16-save shutout in the club’s 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks last Monday to wrap up a five-game trip with a 4-0-1 record.
The Senators are spending a whopping $11.75 million US on goaltending throughout the organization this season. For that money, they rank No. 32 in the National Hockey League in save percentage at .871, while both of the club’s goalies in Belleville have a save percentage below .900 on a bad team.
How much is Ullmark making?
A large part of that money is being paid to Ullmark, who is in the first year of an $8.25 million-per-season deal through the 2028-29 campaign.
That has him tied with Boston’s Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars, and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders as the sixth-highest-paid goaltender in the league.
Ullmark has a 19-9-7 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage. He took a leave of absence for mental health reasons on Dec. 27 and has been solid, for the most part, since late January.
That figure also includes the $1 million in salary that the Senators agreed to pick up of Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s contract through the 2027-28 campaign when he was part of the deal that brought Ullmark to Ottawa in June 2025.
What about the other goalies?
Leevi Merilainen, tabbed to be the backup here this year, is making $1.05 million and was sent to the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville after Ullmark returned from his leave of absence.
Mads Sogaard is also on a one-way contract in the minors and the Senators were unsuccessful in their attempt to trade him at last Friday’s NHL trade deadline, so he’ll finish the year in Belleville.
Belleville, heading into a two-game weekend series against the Hershey Bears, has given up 214 goals this season, the most in the AHL.
The Senators were able to get minor-league goaltender Hunter Shepard’s $400,000 guaranteed salary off the books by sending him to the Laval Rocket, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, at the AHL deadline on Friday afternoon.
But with the Senators sitting five points out of the final playoff spot in the East with 18 games left in the season, the club needs Ullmark to carry the load down the stretch and lead this team to the post-season just like he did last spring.
Ottawa doesn’t need its goaltenders to steal games, but they have to get the necessary stops at big times to help steady the ship. The club’s goaltending has to be better and more consistent — if it were even just close to average, the Senators would have more wins.
The shaky goaltending is the reason why Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations, was likely hesitant to move any of his unrestricted free agents at the deadline. He expressed confidence in this roster and knows the goalies just need to be a bit better.
The Senators can’t afford to let points slip away as they did against the Habs because Ullmark didn’t make a big save at a big time. He’s 5-1-2 in his past eight games with the Senators, but the club is playing some of the best defensive hockey it has all season.
The Senators need to win both games this weekend because not only are they chasing the Bruins, but Ottawa is also four points behind the ninth-place Columbus Blue Jackets, who are 5-1-4 in their past 10. The Detroit Red Wings are in the first wild-card spot, but are slipping fast.
Related
To make the scenario a little more interesting, the Philadelphia Flyers tied the Senators in points with a win on Thursday. The Senators have a game in hand on the Flyers, but Philly has as good a chance as anyone at this point, which is why strong goaltending is paramount.
The Senators have gotten themselves back into a position to make the playoffs by closing the gap on the teams ahead of them. They don’t control their own destiny by any stretch of the imagination, which is why they need their goaltenders to be at the top of their game.
The Costly Crease
The Senators are spending a lot of money on the club’s goaltending this season. Here’s a look at the salaries here in Ottawa and Belleville.
Linus Ullmark $8.25 million
Leevi Merilainen $1.05 million
James Reimer $850,000
Mads Sogaard $775,000
The Senators are also picking up $1 million of goaltender Joonas Korpisalo’s $4-million salary with the Boston Bruins.