The Ottawa Senators' loss to the St. Louis Blues last Tuesday night raised a lot of questions about the team’s goaltending situation.
Backup Samuel Ersson surrendered seven goals on 26 shots in the 7-2 thumping at the hands of the Blues.
That’s a situation that has Senators fans rightfully concerned. This season, Ersson has appeared in three games, losing two, while racking up a 5.29 GAA and an .829 SV%.
That situation shows that it’s time for the Senators to give Jonas Johansson a shot at the NHL.
The Sens traded for Johansson after the evident mistake of placing Leevi Merilainen on waivers. The organization chose Ersson over Merilainen, and, well, things haven’t exactly worked out too good.
Johansson isn’t exactly a Vezina Trophy winner. But he did fill in well enough for Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tampa Bay. Last season, Johansson appeared in 25 games, racking up 11 wins to go with a 3.29 GAA and an .884 SV%.
Those are hardly Vezina-caliber numbers. But they look a lot better than Ersson’s at the moment. Given Johansson’s experience backing up Vasilevskiy and the Senators’ clear need for an answer in the crease.
The Senators might face a complex decision with Jonas Johansson
The Senators face a complex decision regarding Jonas Johansson. Recalling him from Belleville won’t be an issue. He can join the team seemingly at the drop of a hat.
The problem will be what to do about Samuel Ersson.
If the Sens plan on sending him down to the AHL, he’ll have to clear waivers. And that poses a risk for the organization. Seeing Ersson on waivers could mean losing him for nothing.
Now, the actual risk of that is quite low. Ersson isn’t playing nearly well enough to warrant a team claiming him. Plus, his $2.2 million cap hit is not something other teams will be looking to take a flyer on.
You might think that the Senators wouldn’t lose much if Ersson got claimed on waivers. But it would open up a bit of an issue regarding goalie depth. The Sens might need to go out there and find another netminder just to round out the organization’s depth.
But does Steve Staios have any other options? Can he afford to give Ersson any more runway?
Perhaps one more start would be in the cards. If he can’t produce a W, talk will really ramp up about Ottawa needing to make a change in the backup role.
Fortunately, Linus Ullmark is playing out of his mind. So, that situation at least gives the club some peace of mind.
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