With Linus Ullmark's return now imminent, the Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday morning that they've sent goaltender Leevi Meriläinen to the AHL's Belleville Senators.
In a corresponding move, the team recalled Hunter Shepard from Belleville. Shepard will join Ottawa on the road and is expected to back up James Reimer until Ullmark returns. Ullmark was also expected to travel with the team this week, meaning his activation could come at any time, though he remains on the non-roster list.
Meriläinen, 23, appeared in 11 straight games, finishing that stretch with a 4-5-1 record and a 3.61 goals-against average. His most recent start came Saturday in Montreal, where he allowed six goals on 19 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens, a performance that appeared to reflect a goaltender with shaken confidence.
It was a far cry from the version of Meriläinen that stepped in and saved the Sens season last year when Ullmark and Anton Forsberg were out of the lineup. The young Finn went 8-3-1 and posted stellar numbers: a 1.99 goals against average and .925 save percentage.
If he'd managed something between those numbers and what he actually delivered this season, the Sens would be doing just fine.
Barring an emergency, Meriläinen has probably played his last NHL game this season, and the timing of Belleville’s upcoming seven-game AHL road trip could work in his favour. Getting away from the pressure and the 613 spotlight, the extended road swing offers a chance to reset, like turning your computer off and then back on.
Overall this season, Meriläinen holds an 8-10-1 record with a 3.51 goals-against average and an .860 save percentage, including a 4-3-1 mark since the beginning of January.
But the Senators shouldn't overreact to that. They thought he was ready for this, but he wasn't. That's on the organization and their ability to evaluate NHL readiness, not the goalie.
Meriläinen is still extremely young by NHL goalie standards, and he's now felt the highs and lows of being in the show. Now he can quietly rebuild, knowing what worked and what he needs to fix.
So long as the club remains patient with him and doesn't overreact to these recent struggles as they did with Filip Gustavasson, he remains a good young goalie prospect. It will be interesting to see what they now plan to do with Merilainen, who's an arbitration-eligible RFA this summer.
In a perfect world, including 20/20 hindsight, Merilainen would have developed in Belleville and played big AHL minutes until he was 25. Ullmark would be earning his $8.25 million, providing reliable, quality goaltending for 60-65 games, and a veteran like Reimer or someone else would have been signed last summer to back him up.
Things rarely go exactly according to plan, but nothing seemed to work out with the one the Senators chose, though each decision seemed fairly sensible... at the time.
The Senators continue their three-game road trip Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Belleville opens its seven-game road stretch Wednesday against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
Senators Goalie Linus Ullmark Speaks To Media For First Time Since Taking Leave Of AbsenceAfter his Dec. 28 leave of absence from the Senators, Ullmark shared "authentic and vulnerable" thoughts in a TSN interview.This story is from The Hockey News Ottawa. You can visit the site here or click on one of their latest articles below:
Goaltending Woes Are Breaking The Ottawa Senators
Buried Treasures: Senators Celebrate Their Arena's 30th Anniversary
Former Senators Star Injured Right Before What May Be His Final Olympics
Time Is Running Out For The Senators... And Steve Staios Knows It
Did the Senators Handle Social Media Controversy The Best Way?