The Senators will be without star starter Linus Ullmark for at least two more weeks. Head coach Travis Green told reporters that Ullmark won’t travel with the team on their upcoming five-game road swing as he nurses a back issue. The soonest he could return to the lineup is Jan. 9 against the Sabres (via TSN 1200 Ottawa).
That means Ullmark will likely be landing on injured reserve to accommodate the recall of goaltenders Leevi Merilainen and Mads Søgaard from AHL Belleville this morning. No. 2 option Anton Forsberg, who’s listed as out indefinitely with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t dressed since Dec. 14, will travel with the team and thus will return to action sooner than Ullmark. Green said. He’ll likely remain on the active roster for now, although since he’s missed more than seven days, it wouldn’t be an issue for Ottawa to place both Forsberg and Ullmark on IR if necessary to open up an additional roster spot. However, they need to make one IR placement today, as their active roster count sits at one over the limit after this morning’s recalls.
The news hits pause on a promising first season for Ullmark in the Canadian capital after being acquired in a blockbuster deal with the Bruins during the Stanley Cup Final. The 31-year-old Swede has a 12-7-2 record with a .915 SV% and 2.38 GAA through 22 starts and one relief appearance. That’s good for 9.2 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. That would be the highest mark an Ottawa netminder has posted since Craig Anderson’s 10.6 in the 2016-17 campaign, coincidentally the last time the Senators secured a postseason berth.
If they end their playoff drought this season, Ullmark will be a big reason why. He has them in a position to do so, sitting eighth in the Eastern Conference with an 18-14-2 record and 38 points. MoneyPuck currently gives the Sens a 66.1% chance of holding onto their playoff spot, while Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic gives them a 64% chance. Those numbers drop slightly with Ullmark (and Forsberg) out of the picture for the next couple of games, but if Ullmark is ready to go by the time the Sens return home, it shouldn’t be a season-altering absence.
Ullmark has already had one injury-related absence this season, missing four games with a muscle strain back in October. Ottawa went 3-1-0 during that time but allowed 3.5 goals per game, managing enough goal support to buoy themselves during Ullmark’s absence. The 2023 Jennings and Vezina Trophy winner is in the final season of a four-year, $20MM contract he signed with Boston as a free agent in 2021 but has a four-year, $33MM extension on the books to keep him in Ottawa through the 2028-29 campaign.
Until Forsberg is ready to return, it’s Merilainen’s and Søgaard’s crease. Unfortunately, neither has been promising in their short looks at the NHL level this season. Merilainen has allowed six goals on 39 shots faced for a .846 SV% in one start and one relief appearance, while Søgaard allowed four goals on 17 shots in a relief appearance against the Kings on Oct. 14.