OTTAWA – Ottawa Senators general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios announced today the club has signed goaltender Leevi Meriläinen to a one-year contract extension for the 2025-26 NHL season. The one-way contract carries an AAV of $1.05 million.
Meriläinen, 22, appeared in 12 regular season games for the Senators in the 2024-25 season. He posted an 8-3-1 record with a 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage in those contests. Meriläinen also recorded three shutouts in 2024-25 – including a 6-0 win over the Minnesota Wild in his final NHL appearance of the season on February 1.
Selected by Ottawa in the third round (71st overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Meriläinen has appeared in 14 career NHL games. He made his NHL debut on April 4, 2023, making 34 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. In 65 career games with the Belleville Senators in the AHL, Meriläinen has compiled a 31-21-5 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .912 save percentage.
In addition to signing Meriläinen on Monday, the Senators also extended qualifying offers to the following players: Xavier Bourgault, Max Guenette, Jan Jenik and Donovan Sebrango.
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