Senators Re-Sign Leevi Merilainen

According to a team announcement, the Ottawa Senators have signed netminder Leevi Merilainen to a one-year, $1.1MM contract for the 2026-27 season. Merilainen earned a slight pay increase on his new deal.

Throughout the 2024-25 campaign, in limited appearances, Merilainen made a big push to become the Senators’ backup goalie behind Linus Ullmark. In 12 games, Merilainen managed an 8-3-1 record with a .925 SV% and 1.99 GAA. He was equally dominant with the AHL’s Belleville Senators, finishing with an 18-12-7 record in 37 games with a .913 SV% and 2.37 GAA.

Because of his impressive performance, Ottawa was happy to give Merilainen the backup role for the 2025-26 season. That idea ended relatively quickly.

Getting a few more appearances due to Ullmark leaving to attend to a personal matter, Merilainen didn’t show the same talent as he did the year before. In 20 games, Merilainen managed an 8-10-1 record with a .860 SV%, 3.51 GAA, and -17.5 GSAA. Eventually, the Senators cut bait, sending Merilainen back to the AHL and bringing in veteran James Reimer to replace him.

Now, after the Senators acquired and subsequently signed Samuel Ersson, Merilainen will likely move back to a third-string role with Ottawa. However, if Ersson performs anywhere close to how he did with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Senators to call upon Merilainen for reinforcements.