Senators on Thin Ice: Trouble in the Crease

(Photo by Marc DesRosiers, USA TODAY Sports)

The Ottawa Senators have publicly stated their dismay with their goaltender situation. During the Senators Spring Summit for season ticket holders, Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, Dave Poulin says that “The team isn’t happy with the goaltending tandem and I don’t think the goaltending tandem is happy with the goaltending… We have to improve our goaltending situation” (Bruce Garrioch, TSN).

The tandem mentioned by Poulin includes three net-minders; Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg, and Mads Sogaard. Korpisalo signed a five-year deal in the off-season, after a good performance with the Los Angeles Kings in the second half of the 2022-23 season. This season with the Senators he went 21-26-4, recording a .890% save percentage. Forsberg has played for several NHL clubs, mainly as a backup. Forsberg’s record this season was 15-12-0, with a .890% save percentage. Lastly, Sogaard was called up from the Senators AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, for four games, going 1-3-0 with a .859% save percentage.

The Senators finished 26th in the NHL in 2023-24 season, with a record of 37-41-4, and finished in the bottom of the Atlantic Conference. Coach D.J. Smith was fired in December and replaced by interim head coach Jacques Martin, who has since been replaced by Travis Green. Green was the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks from 2017-2021, with a record of 133-147-34 before being fired.

During the Senators Spring Summit for season ticket holders, Poulin expressed his pleasure with Travis Green, stating he is the “perfect person” for the club right now. He also added the team has spoken with the goaltenders and spoken to other teams about different net-minders. They have also considered shopping their 7th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.