SENSNEWS

With Jacob Markström off the board, the Ottawa Senators are under even more pressure to acquire a quality goaltender. The team had been linked to Markström for some time, but in the end, it was the New Jersey Devils that pulled off a trade for the 34-year-old.

So, who else could the Senators target? There are still some quality names out there, but the team will have to move quickly to snatch one up, especially considering there are a number of other teams looking for help in net.

Remaining Goaltending Options For The Ottawa Senators

Juuse Saros – Nashville Predators

The top target for almost every Senators fan still has to be Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators. Saros is a legitimate #1 goaltender in the NHL and is among the league’s very best.

The big issue is that the Predators will want a massive haul if they are to move Saros. Unlike other goaltenders on this list, the team hasn’t ruled out extending Saros to a long-term deal. The Predators are in no rush to move on from him.

And it makes total sense. After all, Juuse Saros has been a perennial top 5-7 goaltender in the league. He struggled this season in Nashville with a .906 SV% and a 2.86 GAA, but he has been excellent throughout the rest of his career.

In the three seasons prior to this past, Saros had posted a .919 SV%, a .918 SV%, and a .927 SV%. Alongside Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg, he has been an integral piece of the three-headed monster that carries the Predators.

A trade would most certainly start with Jakob Chychrun and a first-round pick. At 29 years old, Saros is still in the prime of his career and should be rock solid for the vast majority of a 7 or 8-year extension. Just look at Bobrovsky in Florida.

If the Senators were able to acquire Saros, that would certainly solve any issues in goal. But since that is quite unlikely, let’s move on to some other options who seem to be a little bit more realistic.

Linus Ullmark – Boston Bruins

The surefire second-best option, and arguably the best on the market, has to be Linus Ullmark. This is someone who has been linked quite tightly with the Senators for several months now, dating all the way back to the trade deadline.

Ullmark, like Saros, is another member of the elite goaltenders in the NHL. After winning the Vezina Trophy in 2022/2023, Ullmark put up another great season alongside Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins.

The 30-year-old posted a .915 SV% and a 2.55 GAA this season. In 2022/2023, he had a ridiculous year putting up a .938 SV% and a 1.89 GAA. Even in Buffalo, Ullmark was a consistently good starting goaltender, although not to the same extent as in Boston.

The Bruins have shown interest in Jakob Chychrun, and he could be used in a package to acquire Ullmark as well. The Bruins would likely want a first-round pick alongside Chychrun in a deal, and may even need more than that.

However, just like with Saros, the Senators should have an extension in place with either of these two goaltenders prior to a trade. We can’t have another Alex DeBrincat scenario come the 2024/2025 offseason.

Edit: It sounds like the Senators have really gone hard after Ullmark following this Markström trade. Of all the goaltenders mentioned in this article, Ullmark sounds like the runaway betting favourite for the Sens to bring in.

The rumoured piece(s) going back to Boston would be their first round pick (25th), and Jakob Chychrun. Anton Forsberg has also been mentioned as a potential piece in a trade.

Filip Gustavsson – Minnesota Wild

The most ironic scenario would be to re-acquire Filip Gustavsson from the Minnesota Wild. Gustavsson had a tough go his first time around in Ottawa but has since shown flashes of brilliance in Minnesota, albeit inconsistent flashes.

This season was a down year for Gustavsson as he posted a .899 SV% and a 3.06 GAA in 45 games. However, he was absolutely brilliant the year prior, where he posted a .931 SV% and a 2.10 GAA in 39 games.

The question will be what version of Gustavsson the Senators would be getting. Even if it was somewhere in the middle, that would be well worth the pickup compared to what the team had this past season with Forsberg and Korpisalo.

With Minnesota preparing Jesper Wallstedt for the NHL, they don’t want to have a crowded crease. After re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury, Gustavsson looks like he may be the odd man out.

Anthony Stolarz – Florida Panthers

A more under-the-radar option for the Ottawa Senators is Anthony Stolarz of the Florida Panthers. Stolarz has been overshadowed by Sergei Bobrovsky, but has been excellent when called upon in Sunrise.

In 27 games with Florida this season, Stolarz posted a .925 SV% and a 2.03 GAA. Of course, numbers are a bit inflated behind a stacked Panthers team and getting favorable matchups, but Stolarz was excellent regardless of those circumstances.

Even with the Anaheim Ducks, Stolarz put up solid results in sporadic stretches. In 28 games with Anaheim during the 2021/2022 season, Stolarz had an outstanding .917 SV% and a 2.67 GAA, on a rebuilding Ducks team.

He’s never had the opportunity to be a starter in the NHL, but he could very well be a 1A in Ottawa. As a pending UFA, he is certainly due for a raise, but Ottawa should have the cash to dish out a decent deal to the netminder.

If the Panthers decide to re-sign Stolarz, the Sens could pivot to try and trade for Spencer Knight. However, I don’t see that happening given the pedigree Spencer Knight has as an up-and-coming star goaltender.

Laurent Brossoit – Winnipeg Jets

The second half of the elite goaltending tandem in Winnipeg, Laurent Brossoit could give the Senators some stability in the crease. Like Stolarz, Brossoit has only ever been a backup goaltender, but he could excel with the greater opportunity.

Brossoit won’t get his name on the Jennings Trophy this season because of a technicality, but he certainly deserves it. Brossoit posted a .927 SV% and a 2.00 GAA in 23 games played.

Along with Anthony Stolarz, Brossoit is at the top of the list for UFA goaltenders. He has proven to be a reliable backup for years in the NHL, and could take that next step forward if signed by the Ottawa Senators.

Ilya Nabokov – 2024 NHL Draft

Someone that I am very high on in the NHL draft is Ilya Nabokov. Nabokov is an interesting situation because he is already 21 years old and has experience playing in the KHL with Metallurg.

In 43 games with Metallurg, Nabokov posted a .930 SV% and a 2.15 GAA in the process of winning the KHL. He was incredibly clutch for Metallurg and proved that he has the physical and mental tools to compete in the NHL.

In comparison to other star Russian goaltenders (Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ilya Sorokin, Igor Shesterkin, and Sergei Bobrovsky) Nabokov put up eerily similar results in his D+3 season to these goalies.

For an in-depth breakdown on exactly how impressive Nabokov’s season was with Metallurg, check out the video below. The video does a deep dive into how impressive Nabokov was this season, and it shows why he is poised to be a superstar at the NHL level.

While this would be the most out-of-the-box thinking solution, I genuinely believe it could turn out to be an excellent one. Nabokov is the biggest hidden gem in the draft, and he has already had three years from turning 18 to mature as a prospect.