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Anton Forsberg, Ottawa Senators (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Anton Forsberg Remains Senators’ Best Option for Backup Goalie

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Paul Quinney | Last updated Jun 9, 2025 3:10 PM ET

Strong goaltending duos make Stanley Cup championships easier to win. They don’t have to be Vezina Trophy-calibre puck-stoppers (although that helps), but the starter must be able to steal games and his backup good enough to give his squad a chance at winning on any given night. The Ottawa Senators have that combination in their number one netminder Linus Ullmark and his understudy – pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Anton Forsberg. That’s why president of hockey operations and general manager (GM) Steve Staios needs to re-sign him before free agency opens July 1.

Despite what’s often been said about him, the 32-year-old Swedish twine-minder has shown he can be a reliable backup. When he hasn’t delivered on the hopes of the Senators faithful, it’s often as much the fault of who’s playing in front of him as it is his. Not only that, but with his salary this season of $2.75 million, he’s a bargain.

No Good Alternatives to Forsberg as Senators’ Backup Goalie

The free agent market for goalies this year is thin. The talent available doesn’t offer much of an improvement over what the Senators have in Forsberg who has a career save percentage (SV%) of .904 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.04.

Take pending UFA Ville Huso who earned $4.75 million this season. He finished out the campaign defending the crease for the Anaheim Ducks after being sent there by the Detroit Red Wings at the 2025 Trade Deadline in exchange for nothing more than future considerations. Over his last three full seasons with the Red Wings, he notched an underwhelming SV% of .892 and a GAA of a whopping 3.26. In the last two seasons he has appeared in just 32 games.

The Florida Panthers’ Vitek Vanecek becomes a UFA this summer but for the $3.4 million he earned in the last two seasons he delivered a disappointing SV% of below .900. It doesn’t get any better with soon-to-be UFA Alexandar Georgiev who earned as much this season as Forsberg but recorded a SV% of .875 and a GAA of 3.88 with the San Jose Sharks.

It looks like the New Jersey Devils’ Jake Allen will be up for grabs on July 1. For the $3.85 million he earned this season he registered a respectable SV% of .906 and a GAA of 2.66 over 31 games. While that’s a little better than what Forsberg managed this year in his 30 games, it hardly makes him worth $1 million-plus more.

The point of all of this is that there are no free agent goalies who would improve things between the Senators’ pipes. So, what you may ask is who is available in the Senators’ pipeline?

The short answer is nobody who is as steady as Forsberg. Hopes may still be high that the 24-year-old Dane Mads Sogaard will one day make the leap from the Belleville Senators to the big club, but he has not proven he’s ready to do that any time soon. Last year he played just two games with the big club in Ottawa and allowed eight goals on 40 shots. Over his 29 NHL games stretching back to the 2022-23 season he has a sub-par SV% of .879 and a GAA of 3.55. It’s why some put more stock in his Belleville goaltending partner Leevi Merilainen.

It’s true that in the 12 games the 6-foot-3 Finn played this season for Ottawa he’s been impressive, recording a GAA of 1.99 and a SV% of .925. Still, there’s no pudding in which a record over just 12 games proves anything. Not only that but turning to Merilainen as Ullmark’s backup may be too much too soon for the 22-year-old.

Some argue that Staios could trade for an upgrade to Forsberg this summer. Yet trying that in a market where goaltending talent is scarce could eat up a big chunk of the Senators’ current $15 million in free salary cap – much of which is earmarked for re-signing other pending UFAs.

Forsberg Deserves New Contract with Senators

One way to look at Forsberg is that he’s a low-risk, inexpensive insurance policy for a team whose best shot at winning Lord Stanley’s silverware will come in the next three seasons. He won’t command much more than his current $2.75 million annual salary leaving more cap space for Staios to address other more-pressing problems. As I argued in my most recent piece for The Hockey Writers, the Senators’ goaltending is solid enough and Staios should use his limited cap space to focus on adding more scoring talent to boost his roster.

Coming back from tearing two medial collateral ligaments (MCL) in 2023 to play 30 games this season in which he posted statistics better than the average NHL goaltender and the equal of Ullmark shows Forsberg has returned to his previous best. That was in 2021-22 when he recorded a SV% of .917 and a GAA of 2.82 forr a Senators team that finished 26^th in the league. If he can repeat that performance next season the Senators would possess one of the most-potent goaltending tandems in the NHL.

If Staios really believes that either Merilainen or Sogaard are close to becoming NHL-calibre goaltenders then re-signing Forsberg to a one- or two-year contract gives him time to make sure and an insurance policy.

Forsberg Key to Senators Taking Next Step in 2025-26

Goaltending can’t be in doubt if the Senators are to take the next step in 2025-26. Forsberg as Ullmark’s backup comes closer to eliminating that doubt than any other option the club has in front of them. The Senators are in win-now mode and Forsberg is one of the keys to making that happen.