Senators tight-lipped about Linus Ullmark as they prepare to move on without him

The Ottawa Senators will forge ahead without Linus Ullmark.

They don’t have any other choice after the Senators announced on Sunday that the club’s top goaltender has taken an indefinite leave of absence from the team to deal with a personal matter.

The Ottawa Citizen has been told the Senators have no idea when the 32-year-old Ullmark will return, and coach Travis Green gave backup Leevi Merilainen the start on Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

To say the Senators are being tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding Ullmark’s abrupt departure from the club would be an understatement.

“I don’t know much,” said captain Brady Tkachuk before the Senators faced the Jackets. “Just got to respect everything that is going on. Whenever you have a teammate going through something like that, he knows that our whole team and our whole organization are backing him.

“For us as teammates, we’ll always be there for him with whatever he is going through; he knows we’re always there. He’s a big part of our team on the ice and off the ice.”

The club recalled Hunter Shepard from its American Hockey League affiliate in Belleville on Monday to dress as the backup against the Jackets, but the expectation is that Mads Sogaard will be brought up for the visit by the Washington Capitals on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m.

Pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots in a 7-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, Ullmark looked completely out of sorts during his brief appearance in the club’s net. He had no idea where the puck was on the third goal by the Leafs, and that’s not him.

This has been a difficult season for Ullmark. He was named the National Hockey League’s second star of the week for his performance heading into the holiday break, and then was pulled in Toronto.

Not only does his departure leave the Senators in a difficult position, but officials with Team Sweden are also closely monitoring the situation. The final rosters for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games must be submitted by Dec. 31, and Ullmark was on the club’s radar.

This has been a difficult season for Ullmark. He started 28 of the club’s first 37 games, and has posted a 2.95 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage.

Ullmark was with Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but is in a battle for a job with Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild, along with New Jersey Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The Swedish team will be announced on Friday, and the coach, Sam Hallam, didn’t want to say what this news means for Ullmark’s Olympic hopes.

“In this particular case, I’m keeping it internal,” Hallam told Swedish reporters Monday.

Hallam said that the club is monitoring the situation with Ullmark. According to Expressen and Aftonbladet newspapers in Stockholm, Hallam wouldn’t confirm that Ullmark will be available for the Olympics even if selected.

“It’s pretty clear from the little information that has come out that it’s not something that’s being talked about right now; it’s Linus who owns that issue. The most important thing is that Linus is doing well,” Hallam said in a Google-translated version.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding this personal matter is understandable, but Ullmark’s departure puts the organization in a difficult position at a time of year when victories are paramount to stay in the playoff race.

Merilainen will have to carry the load for the foreseeable future. In 10 appearances this season, he is ranked No. 56 among goalies in the NHL with a 4-6-0 record, a 3.43 GAA and an .874 save percentage.

It’s not like Merilainen hasn’t had to do this before. He carried the load for six weeks at this time last year when Ullmark suffered a back injury. Merilainen posted an 8-3-1 record in 12 games in Ullmark’s absence with a .925 save percentage and a 1.99 GAA.

“It’s part of the NHL, and you’re going to miss some big pieces in your lineup,” said alternate captain Thomas Chabot. “It’s the group in front of (the goalies) that has to step up and play some even better hockey.

“Part of what we have to do is make sure we’re playing some winning hockey to make it even better for Linus during this time.”

The Senators expressed their confidence in Merilainen.

“We saw it last year when Leevi took over, but you don’t want to put extra pressure on Leevi,” Chabot added. “He’s played a few games this year, but you want to make it as easy as it can be for him.

“We feel like our game is in a good place, and we’ve got to focus on our details and playing the way we’ve been playing for the last (18 months).”

bgarrioch@postmedia.com

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