Yahoo Sports Ottawa Senators: After Sunday's Impressive Performance, Where Does Anton Forsberg Fit When Linus Ullmark Returns?
After his impressive 25-save performance in a 2-1 win in New Jersey on Sunday, Anton Forsberg isn't making the Senators' looming decision on goaltending any easier.
After missing almost a month of action with a back injury, goalie Linus Ullmark looks like he'll be ready to return to the lineup soon. At that point, with Anton Forsberg and Leevi Merilainen, the Senators will have three available goalies.
This just in: there isn't room on the bench for two backup goalies.
In Ullmark's absence, Merilainen has been outstanding, posting a 4-0-1 record in his past five games. In three of those starts, he's allowed zero goals in regulation. He made some huge saves in his last start, a 6-5 shootout win over the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, but there were a few moments of fallibility.
Merilainen has had a remarkable stretch and has definitely outplayed Forsberg. But this is a small sample size. Sens fans remember 2015, when Andrew Hammond seemed like God's gift to goaltending with a record of 20-1-2 and a .941 save percentage at the end of that season. But as history now shows, the Hamburglar wasn't nearly as good as he seemed that spring and would only play 42 NHL games over the next seven seasons.
On Sunday in New Jersey, Forsberg, who has two shutouts this season, reminded Sens fans that he, too, can play. As the Sens were outshot by the Devils 16-2 in the first period, they could have been run out of the rink, but Forsberg stood tall in a 2-1 road victory. In two of his past three starts, he's been Ottawa's best player.
When Ullmark returns, the Sens could try to send Forsberg to Belleville, but they'd first have to risk losing him on waivers. And if Forsberg were suddenly claimed and gone, that would open up a flurry of "what ifs," and the Sens may not have the depth to absorb Forsberg's loss.
It would leave the Sens with Ullmark and Leevi Merilainen as their 1-2 punch, which, based on their recent play, would be a formidable duo. But what if Ullmark got hurt yet again? At this point, after the season he's had, that would hardly be a surprise.
If Forsberg were lost on waivers, the Sens would have to lean on Belleville. With Mads Sogaard and Malcom Subban both hurt, they could choose either Michael Simpson or Mark Sinclair as their new NHL backup, but that's not really an option. Those two barely have AHL experience, let alone NHL history.
And what if Merilainen unravels, as young players sometimes do? Things could get thin in a hurry around here.
So when Ullmark gets healthy, the best answer is to take a page from the Philadelphia Flyers and roster three goalies. Their play, for better or worse, might just make the Senators' decisions for them. More importantly, the Sens have to do everything they can to protect their goaltending depth right now.
Once they're sure Merilainen is the real deal, or their Belleville insurance policies get healthy again, then the Sens will be in a better position to make the right call on Forsberg, who's a UFA at season's end.
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