"That was just part of Ottawa Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson's post-game comments following his team's 6-5 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens. And to say the least, it's just the beginning of what is and has been a major issue for the Ottawa Senators: goaltending. In the five years post-pandemic (since the 2020-21 season), the Ottawa Senators had put out a total of eleven different starting goaltenders. Such names include Cam Talbot, Joonas Korpisalo, and now Linus Ullmark and ex- Toronto Maple Leaf James Reimer."
"Primarily acting as a backup for Linus Ullmark, who was out for two significant stretches of that season, Meriläinen posted an 8-3-1 record, three shutouts, and a .925 save percentage. He also conceded just two goals per game over his twelve games played that year. Leevi Meriläinen would be rewarded with a one-year contract in the offseason, providing some hope that the Senators found their second full-time netminder."
"Save for Linus Ullmark and James Reimer (the latter of which I'm not going to harp on too hard on because he just made his Senators debut), goaltender signings haven't exactly worked out for the Ottawa Senators. Cam Talbot gave up around three goals against per game in his lone season with the team, Joonas Korpisalo couldn't exactly make a save, and Anton Forsberg has been an up-and-down kind of goalie in terms of overall performance."
Goaltending has been a major, recurring problem for the Ottawa Senators, marked by frequent turnover and inconsistent veteran signings. Since the 2020-21 season the team used eleven different starting goaltenders, including Cam Talbot, Joonas Korpisalo, Linus Ullmark, and James Reimer. Veteran acquisitions often performed poorly while farm-system goalies produced mixed but occasionally strong results. Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese delivered important wins in 2022-23, and Leevi Meriläinen posted an 8-3-1 record, three shutouts, and a .925 save percentage in 2024-25. Meriläinen earned a one-year contract, offering a potential solution amid ongoing instability.
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