Leevi Meriläinen - Page 2 - NHL News & Rumors

Leevi Meriläinen is Excited for Opportunity to Grow his Game with Canucks This Season | Vancouver Canucks Getting put on waivers is never fun. But netminder Leevi Meriläinen is excited about the opportunity to play in the NHL and happy that the o...

OCTOBER 3 • NHL.COM

Makes team debut in relief appearance Merilainen stopped 10 of 11 shots in relief of Kevin Lankinen in Thursday's 9-7 loss to the Oilers.

Impact Merilainen did his part in the latter half of the game, almost allowing the Canucks to put together a comeback. Lankinen has struggled heavily to start the campaign, though it's tough to expect Merilainen to do any better behind a roster that will be outmatched most of the time. Both goalies should get a start this weekend since the Canucks will host the Flames on Saturday and the Golden Knights on Sunday.

OCTOBER 2 • ROTOWIRE

Connor McDavid has a goal and four assists as the Oilers hang on to beat the Canucks 9-7

Connor McDavid scored a goal and had four assists as the Edmonton Oilers secured a 9-7 victory over the Vancouver Canucks

OCTOBER 2 • Associated Press

Claimed off waivers Merilainen was claimed off waivers by Vancouver from Ottawa on Friday.

Impact Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While he clearly didn't have an ideal campaign, he's still just 24 years old and showed promise in 2024-25 with an 8-3-1 record, 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage across 12 regular-season outings with the Senators. Thatcher Demko (hip) might not be ready for the start of the campaign, which presents Merilainen with an opportunity to compete with Kevin Lankinen for starts. The addition of Merilainen is also likely to result in Nikita Tolopilo beginning the upcoming campaign in the minors. Vancouver might also be more likely to decide against signing Chris Driedger, who has been attending the Canucks' training camp on a tryout basis.

SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Lands on waivers Merilainen was put on waivers by Ottawa on Thursday, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.

Impact Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with the Senators in 2025-26. Samuel Ersson signed a two-year, $4.4 million contract with the Senators over the summer, and he's expected to begin the season as the No. 2 goaltender behind Linus Ullmark. If either of Ersson or Ullmark suffers an injury during the campaign, then Merilainen might be summoned.

SEPTEMBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles in preseason start Merilainen allowed six goals on 27 shots in a 6-1 loss to the Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Impact Merilainen played into the third period, but he was pulled after giving up a sixth goal. He may get one more chance to audition during preseason action, but this wasn't a particularly encouraging effort put forth for a goalie who needed to impress to win a roster spot. Expect Merilainen to start 2026-27 with AHL Belleville.

SEPTEMBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

OTT@TOR: Matthews scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Toronto Maple Leafs Auston Matthews (TOR) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 6 - 1

SEPTEMBER 24 • NHL.COM

OTT@TOR: Rielly scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Toronto Maple Leafs Morgan Rielly (TOR) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 1

SEPTEMBER 24 • NHL.COM

OTT@TOR: MacEwen scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Toronto Maple Leafs Zack MacEwen (TOR) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 4 - 1

SEPTEMBER 24 • NHL.COM

OTT@TOR: Tavares scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Toronto Maple Leafs John Tavares (TOR) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 2 - 1

SEPTEMBER 24 • NHL.COM

OTT@TOR: Roslovic scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | Toronto Maple Leafs Jack Roslovic (TOR) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 3 - 1

SEPTEMBER 24 • NHL.COM

Getting start in road game Merilainen will draw the start on the road in Wednesday's split-squad preseason game, per the NHL media site.

Impact Merilainen will be backstopping largely a minor-league group on the road as the Senators begin their preseason slate. Heading into 2026-27, Merilainen will likely begin the campaign with AHL Belleville, as Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson are projected to be the NHL goaltending tandem.

SEPTEMBER 23 • ROTOWIRE

Senators agree to contract extension with Leevi Meriläinen for the 2026-27 season | Ottawa Senators The one-way contract carries an AAV of $1.1 million.

JULY 2 • NHL.COM

Re-signs Thursday Merilainen signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the Senators on Thursday.

Impact Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 regular-season appearances with Ottawa in 2025-26. While those results leave plenty to be desired, the 23-year-old has the potential to bounce back. However, he'll have to compete with Samuel Ersson during training camp to earn the No. 2 job behind Linus Ullmark. If the 23-year-old Merilainen doesn't do enough to win an NHL roster spot, then he'll return to the minors to continue to hone his game.

JULY 2 • ROTOWIRE

Up from minors Merilainen was called up by Ottawa on Friday.

Impact Merilainen had an 8-10-1 record, 3.51 GAA and .860 save percentage in 20 appearances with Ottawa during the 2025-26 regular season. He's joining Ottawa as the squad's No. 3 goaltender going into its first-round series against Carolina. Merilainen shouldn't be expected to man the net in a 2026 playoff game for the Senators unless Linus Ullmark and James Reimer run into injury problems.

APRIL 17 • ROTOWIRE

Logs shutout Friday Merilainen posted a 26-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 5-0 win over Manitoba on Friday.

Impact This was his second shutout of the AHL campaign. Merilainen is up to 8-7-1 with a 2.87 GAA and a .905 save percentage through 18 appearances. He's had a down year compared to 2024-25, which is why he's stayed in the AHL since he was sent down in January.

MARCH 28 • ROTOWIRE

Regaining confidence in Belleville Merilainen posted a 40-save shutout in AHL Belleville's 1-0 win over Springfield on Saturday.

Impact Merilainen improved to 4-1-0 this season in the AHL, with wins in each of the last two games since he returned to Belleville. This was his first shutout of the season, and he's allowed just 13 goals on 166 shots for a .927 save percentage with Belleville. That said, his chances to return to the NHL don't look great at this time, as the Senators are carrying three goalies and have Linus Ullmark (personal) on the non-roster list.

JANUARY 25 • ROTOWIRE

Shipped down to minors Merilainen was reassigned to AHL Belleville on Tuesday.

Impact Merilainen appeared in 11 straight games for the Senators coming out of the Christmas break, but now finds himself headed down to the minors. In those outings, the 23-year-old netminder went 4-5-1 with a 3.61 GAA, including giving up six goals on 19 shots versus Montreal on Saturday. Hunter Shepard was recalled from Belleville in a corresponding move and figures to serve as the No. 2 option behind James Reimer for Tuesday's tilt with Columbus.

JANUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE

Falls in OT Merilainen recorded saves on 13 of 19 shots on net in Saturday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Canadiens.

Impact Merilainen allowed at least one goal in each period leading up to overtime, where he surrendered the winning tally to Montreal's Cole Caufield. With the OT loss, Merilainen now has an 8-10-1 record, a 3.51 GAA and an .860 save percentage across 20 appearances this season. He has appeared in each of Ottawa's last 11 games in the absence of Linus Ullmark (personal). With Ullmark back at practice, Merilainen could shift to a much lighter workload over the next few games, which will diminish his already risky fantasy value. His next chance to bounce back is Sunday in Detroit.

JANUARY 18 • ROTOWIRE

Caufield scores in OT as Canadiens beat Senators 6-5

Montreal scored three straight goals, including Cole Caufield’s second of the game 33 seconds into overtime, to give the Canadiens a 6-5 come-from-behind win over the Ottawa Senato...

JANUARY 18 • Associated Press

MTL@OTT: Slafkovsky scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 4

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Carrier scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Alexandre Carrier (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 5

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Caufield scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Cole Caufield (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 5 - 6

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Anderson scores goal against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Josh Anderson (MTL) scores goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 2 - 3

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

MTL@OTT: Caufield scores PPG against Leevi Merilainen | Montréal Canadiens Cole Caufield (MTL) scores power-play goal against Leevi Merilainen (OTT) to make it 0 - 2

JANUARY 18 • NHL.COM

LEEVI MERILÄINEN NEWS

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Connor McDavid has a goal and four assists as the Oilers hang on to beat the Canucks 9-7

Caufield scores in OT as Canadiens beat Senators 6-5