It’s Now or Never for Anton Forsberg

With the recent news that Linus Ullmark will be out for weeks with an upper-body injury, the Ottawa Senators have been put in a tough spot. Losers of four of their last five, they simply cannot stay cold in the middle of a tight playoff race. As of today, the Senators have 40 points through 38 games. That puts them a point back of the Penguins and Canadiens in the race for the last wildcard spot, although the Senators have played less games than both those teams.

The Senators are also battling through injuries to the likes of David Perron, Michael Amadio, Jacob Bernard-Docker, and Travis Hamonic. Oh, and there seems to be a flu bug that’s hit the team as well. With all of these issues in play, the pressure in on Anton Forsberg to step his game up. Let’s dive into the road ahead for Forsberg and the Ottawa Senators.

READ MORE: Checking in on the Ottawa Senators Top Prospects

Forsberg’s Struggles

As of today, Forsberg’s has an .885 save percentage. That puts him 54th out of the 60 goalies with at least ten games played. What makes that even crazier is that he’s one of 18 goalies with at least two shutouts. He’s only started 12 games, and he’s been perfect in two of them, yet he has one of the worst save percentages in the league. That gives you an idea how rough his other ten games have been. It’s not as if Forsberg’s being peppered with a ton of shots, either. He’s faced 30+ shots just twice all season. In his ten lesser games, he’s given up at least three goals in all of them.

His struggles didn’t just start this year, though. He had an .890 SV% last season, putting him 63rd among goalies with at least 10 games played. His SV% has regressed every year since 2021-22, from .917 to .902 to .890 and now just .885.

End of Forsberg’s Contract

Forsberg’s three year contract is up at the end of this season. Given his subpar play in that time, it would be hard to imagine Forsberg earning that next contract from the Senators. He’s posted just an .895 SV% in those three years over 65 starts, while also battling injuries. There are only 64 goalie jobs available in the NHL. While a team might be willing to give Forsberg a one year, prove it deal in a backup role, it’s hard to imagine him receiving any offers even close to his most recent contract, which paid him $2.75 million per season.

Forsberg’s Big Opportunity

Given the Ullmark injury, plus the inexperience of Mads Sogaard and Leevi Merilainen behind him, this is a crucial stretch for Forsberg. The Ottawa Senators have their sights set on the playoffs and they won’t be able to get there if Forsberg continues his mediocre play. There are a couple things at risk here: The Senators playoff chances, and Forsberg’s chance at that next NHL contract.

I wouldn’t give Forsberg much of a leash here. This can’t be a situation where you try to have him play through his struggles. The standings are too tight, and he’s struggled for too long to give him game after game if he’s not playing well. If I were Travis Green, I would not hesitate to go with the young guys during this time. If I were Steve Staios, I would be actively searching for trade options to improve the goaltending situation. Again, it’s not as if Forsberg has been off for a game or two; his play hasn’t been good enough for a couple of years now. Ideally, Forsberg can play well enough. If not, it’s time for the Senators to find their next Mike Condon to help them through the next few weeks. The next Andrew Hammond might be asking a bit much.