+34
Johansson fills a need for depth goaltending for the Senators after Leevi Merilainen was lost on waivers.
filled a newly created need on Friday night when they swung a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning to acquire goalie Jonas Johansson in exchange for future considerations.
The Senators were facing a shortage of goaltending depth behind veteran starter Linus Ullmark after the club placed Leevi Merilainen on waivers Thursday. Johansson, 31, has spent the past three years serving as Andrei Vasilevskiy’s backup with the Lightning. While seeing a limited workload due to Vasilevskiy’s propensity to start a high volume of games, Johansson has been a bit below league average by save percentage, notching marks of .890, .895 and .884 in the past three years, respectively.
Goaltending proved to be a considerable challenge in Ottawa last season, as neither Ullmark nor Merilainen were particularly effective during the regular season. The Sens won the vast majority of the games Ullmark started, but his .891 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average were far from reflective of his usual high level.
Merilainen, for his part, was one of the least effective goalies in the whole NHL last season, as he went 8-10-1 with a .860 SV% and 3.51 GAA. The 24-year-old still has plenty of upside to show in Vancouver, though, as evidenced by the solid .909 SV% he produced with Ottawa’s AHL affiliate in Belleville.
The shaky goaltending from last year prompted general manager Steve Staios to make a move to add another option into the mix this summer, as he brought in Samuel Ersson from the Philadelphia Flyers to take on the backup job behind Ullmark. While the NHL season is set to get underway next Tuesday, the Senators still have more than a week until their season opener, which will take place on the road against the
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
B.C. MPs and senators criticize Eby's snap election call as cynical and opportunisticBritish Columbia Premier David Eby faces backlash from MPs and senators across party lines for calling a snap election two years early while the provincial Conservative party is in disarray, with some defending his right to seek a fresh mandate amid U.S. tariff threats.
Read more »
Smudge the Blades Opens 40th Edmonton International Film FestivalCody Lightning's Smudge the Blades opens the 40th Edmonton International Film Festival after winning Best Canadian Discovery at TIFF, with Lightning dedicating the film to his late mother Georgina Lightning.
Read more »
Vancouver Canucks Claim Leevi Merilainen Off Waivers From Ottawa SenatorsThe Vancouver Canucks have acquired goaltender Leevi Merilainen from the Ottawa Senators via waivers as they address their starting goalie situation with Thatcher Demko sidelined.
Read more »
Senators' Playoff Hopes Will Rely Heavily On Bounce-Back Season From UllmarkAfter a difficult 2025-26, the Ottawa Senators are hoping for a bounce-back season from goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Read more »