Dylan Ferguson Called Up To Ottawa Senators, Mandolese Sent Down
Following Saturday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators have opted to send Kevin Mandolese back down to the AHL and call Dylan Ferguson up. Let’s break it down.
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Kevin Mandolese to the Belleville Senators
Mandolese was called up to the Ottawa Senators on March 6th when starter Cam Talbot was put on the Injured Reserve due to an oblique strain. In that time, he appeared in one game. On March 12th, he played against the Calgary Flames, to which the Ottawa Senators lost 5-1. While the loss was not his fault as he faced 39 shots, he showed that he needs just a bit more time in the AHL before he can be considered “NHL-Ready”. This is not an indictment on him whatsoever, he’s only 22 years old and goaltenders tend to take more time to develop. Let’s talk about his play in the minors so far. In the AHL, his numbers this year have also not been impressive but the team he is playing with has not been good in the slightest so I would not put too much importance on his numbers. It is important to remember that goalies need as many reps as possible in order to further their development. Being sent back to the AHL is likely the best thing for him at the current moment in time.
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What does Dylan Ferguson bring to the NHL?
Dylan Ferguson, who was recently acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, has one NHL game under his belt, with the Las Vegas Golden Knights. He is still young, at 24 years old, and still shows some promise. I don’t think he still is expected to be a goalie of the future for any NHL organization, but he provides great depth as a third goalie option. He has played well so far for the BSens, in his 6 games with the team so far he has gone 5-1-0 and sported a .935 save percentage and goals against average of 2.00. He has been a bright spot for the team in otherwise a darker time as the BSens have not been so great this season. Ferguson played one game with the Vegas Golden Knights when injuries arose that organization in their inaugural season and has since bounced around the league. He is merely a depth option at this point and provides a bit more experience in net for the Senators so that they do not have to solely rely on Mads Sogaard.
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Closing Thoughts
Ideally, the Ottawa Senators would still be relying on Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg, but they are both out with injury. For now, Mads Sogaard has done the best that he can but it should not be expected of him to carry the Sens to the playoffs as he is only 22 years old. Dylan Ferguson should provide a bit more depth and be able to give Sogaard a break.