It was only a couple of years ago that Senators goaltender Mads Sogaard was viewed as their potential goalie of the future. However, some struggles since then and other moves made by the team (including adding Linus Ullmark for the long haul) has changed his trajectory. It appears that Ottawa was ready to move on from him at last week’s trade deadline as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the Sens made some efforts to move Sogaard but weren’t able to do so.
The 25-year-old was the 37th pick back in 2019 after a promising showing with WHL Medicine Hat. That, coupled with a six-foot-seven stature, was a profile Ottawa felt it could count on. He carried that over to his rookie professional season in 2021-22 but things haven’t gone as well since then.
Sogaard has battled injuries the last two years which has limited his playing time. And when he has played, his numbers haven’t been great. This season, he has a 3.38 GAA along with a .884 SV% in 22 games with AHL Belleville, numbers that are an improvement on the eight-game stint he had at that level a year ago.
The Senators have given Sogaard a chance at NHL playing time in each of his five professional seasons, including this one where he has a pair of appearances. However, he has just 31 games at the top level under his belt with a 3.60 GAA and a .877 SV%. In a total of 26 starts, eight have had a save percentage below .850, a near one-in-three ratio.
It’s those performances coupled with the acquisition of Ullmark and emergence of Leevi Merilainen as a goalie with some upside that have seen Sogaard go from a perceived future core player to a project with plenty of uncertainty. Based on their inability to move him, it appears other teams have some hesitance about him as well.
That said, Sogaard’s contract could have played a factor. While he’s on a league-minimum contract at $775K, he’s on a one-way pact and will be eligible for salary arbitration this summer. With that NHL playing time under his belt, there’s a case to be made that his camp could push for a seven-figure one-way salary with a hearing, something Ottawa or any other team might be hesitant to pay. With that in mind, it’s possible that he becomes a non-tender candidate this summer.
That makes the stretch run that much more important for Sogaard. The Senators cleared their AHL goaltending logjam on Friday when they moved Hunter Shepard to Montreal, leaving Merilainen and Sogaard as their tandem for the final few weeks of the season. Sogaard will want to finish strong to showcase himself not only to Ottawa but potentially the rest of the league as well should their efforts to move him continue.