At the 2020 NHL Draft, not many people would've expected Leevi Merilainen to be a hot name among young goaltenders by 2025. However, Merilainen's name is rising as the former 71st overall pick from the 2020 draft.
In the 2024-25 season in both the NHL and AHL, Merilainen was solid in between the pipes. Had Merilainen not have his 12-game surge during the Winter, it realistically could've been unsure if the Ottawa Senators would've made the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now as the 2025-26 season is months away from starting, Merilainen's expectations are higher than last season. Merilainen has the perfect chance to be Linus Ullmark's backup, but the question of how many starts should Merilainen get is a solid and important question to ask.
What is a fair amount of starts Merilainen should get in 2025-26?
Of the 12 games he played in last season, Merilainen started 12 of them and posted a solid 8-3-1 record. Merilainen also recorded a 1.99 goals against average and .925 save percentage. For 12 games in the NHL at 22 years old, that is solid. Merilainen also had a successful AHL season with the Belleville Senators with recording an 18-13-4 record with a 2.37 GAA and .910 SV% in 37 games played.
Last season, Anton Forsberg was the primary backup to Ullmark. Merilainen did get called up to the NHL due to Forsberg getting injured in mid-December. Then, Merilainen got more playing time due to Ullmark getting injured before Christmas. While Mads Sogaard was called up from the AHL, Merilainen was better. Merilainen last played an NHL game on Feb. 1 once Ullmark was ready to return fro his injury.
On July 1, Forsberg left the Senators and signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Kings. Forsberg signing with the Kings opened up the opportunity to have Merilainen be the full-time backup for Ullmark for the 2025-26 season. With Forsberg leaving, it opened up the question for Merilainen for this upcoming season.
What is a fair amount of games for Merilainen to start in the 2025-26 season for the Senators?
20-25 starts, with potentially pushing 30
With how solid his 2024-25 season was, more playing time can be on the horizon for Merilainen. It's also important for the Senators to see if Merilainen is more NHL ready.
Twelve NHL games might not be enough for some teams to be convinced a young goaltender is ready to get more playing time, but Merilainen sparkled last season. Of his eight wins, three of them were shutouts.
However, it's also no secret that Ullmark is the clear number one goaltender on Ottawa's depth chart. When his play is on, Ullmark is one of the NHL's top goaltenders. Ullmark will be eager for a better second season as a Senator. Ullmark recorded a 25-14-3 record with a 2.72 GAA and .910 SV% in 44 games played (43 starts).
Merilainen could push 30 starts because of Ullmark having injury concerns from last season. Along with that, Ullmark has never started over 50 games in a single season in his career. More rest for Ullmark could be better for him to get rested up for the bigger and more important games, and that is where Merilainen could potentially get more starts in 2025-26.
Sens fans will be excited to see what Merilainen can do in the 2025-26 season. With solid play in both the NHL and AHL last season, expectations for Merilainen will be bigger.