Ottawa Senators 2022-23 Report Cards: Goaltending
In yesterday’s piece, I continued my season-ending report cards series, and today it’s time to bring that series to a conclusion with the goaltenders. This season, the Ottawa Senators utilized seven different netminders, let’s talk about them.
Next. Ottawa Senators 2022-23 Report Cards: Defense. dark
Cam Talbot: C
In his first (and only) season as an Ottawa Senator, Cam Talbot was plagued with injuries year-long and was not able to play fully healthy probably all season long. That still doesn’t mean that his play has been acceptable. I was excited to see him in Ottawa and was pretty disappointed that it just did not work out for him. In 36 games, he went 17-14-2 with a save percentage of .840 and goals against an average of 2.93. I hope he finds success wherever he ends up next as it’s been announced that he will not return with the Sens.
Anton Forsberg: B-
Unfortunately for Anton Forsberg, he was not able to play in more than 28 games this season as he basically destroyed both of his knees. He’s expected to be ready for the start of next season, but that’s a topic for another time. In his 28 games played, he was able to sport a .902 S% and 3.26 GAA. These numbers in large part are brought down by the abysmal month of November that the Ottawa Senators had, but overall Forsberg was an “ok” goalie this year. I expect more of him next season but I can’t justify any less than a B-
Mads Sogaard: A-
In his first full professional season, Mads Sogaard was kind of thrown to the wolves this season, being rushed to the NHL because of injuries to literally everyone in the Ottawa Senators organization. He was able to suit up in 19 games this season, going 8-6-3 with a .889 S% and 3.32 GAA. Obviously, at first glance, these numbers are not great, but it’s important to consider that Sogaard is 22 years old and this was NOT supposed to be his rookie season. With that in mind, he performed a LOT better than I honestly expected him to. He had a stretch of like 5 games where he was abysmal but was lights out in all the other games he played. He is Ottawa’s goalie of the future and should continue to develop nicely.
Related Story. Ottawa Senators 2022-23 Season Ending Report Cards: Forwards. light
Kevin Mandolese: B
22-year-old Kevin Mandolese suited up in 3 games for the Sens this season, going 1-2-0 sporting a .916 S% and 3.29 GAA. Mandolese’s potential is not really known, but he has the chance of serving as a pretty decent backup goalie in the NHL. He played pretty well in his three-game stretch.
Dylan Ferguson: B
After being acquired for literally nothing in an AHL trade, Dylan Ferguson was forced to the NHL roster and played two games with the Ottawa Senators, going 1-1, rocking a .940 S% and 2.52 GAA. He performed better than expected, having a historical NHL debut.
Leevi Merilainen: C+
Last but not least, Leevi Merilainen suited up in two games with the Ottawa Senators. I think it can be universally agreed that Merilainen is not NHL-ready as of yet, but that’s perfectly fine. He’s 20 years old and has a lot of time to develop. He posted a .878S% and 4.23 GAA in two games, going winless. He’s not a bad goalie by any means as he has a LOT of potential in the NHL. It’s just way too early to see him in NHL games yet.
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Closing Thoughts
This was a fun mini-series grading all Ottawa Senators players, hope you enjoyed them all. I think it’s fair to say that goaltending raises the most questions on this team looking toward the future.