A Fifth Team in Seven Years
The Ottawa Senators have traded for goaltender Jonas Johansson, acquiring the 31-year-old from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations, the team announced Friday. It is Johansson’s fifth NHL organization since Buffalo made him a third-round pick, a path that has taken him through Colorado and Florida before three seasons backing up Andrei Vasilevskiy in Tampa.
That run behind one of the league’s best goaltenders limited his workload but not his track record: 70 appearances and 65 starts across those three years, with a 3.28 goals-against average over that stretch. Last season alone he went 11-10-2 with a 3.29 GAA and an .884 save percentage, numbers that hold up reasonably well for a goalie who rarely got the cushion of a full-strength lineup in front of him.
Try it for $0.99.
The Numbers Behind the Move
For his career, Johansson now carries a 3.30 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage, a body of work built almost entirely as a backup rather than a starter. That is precisely the role Ottawa appears to be buying: a proven second option who has already handled a heavy share of appearances behind an elite starter, a skill set that translates directly to a crowded crease.
Trading only future considerations for that kind of depth is a low-risk swing for Ottawa, whose goaltending situation has drawn scrutiny in recent seasons. Johansson does not arrive with the pedigree of a clear starter, but a .888 career mark from a goalie who has bounced between four organizations in seven years is the profile of a competent insurance policy rather than a reclamation project.
Tampa’s Crease Opens Up
The trade also clears a path in Tampa Bay, where the Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division last season with Johansson soaking up starts behind Vasilevskiy. His departure leaves the Lightning to sort out their backup plans as the season approaches, while Ottawa adds a tested arm to a crease that will need every bit of stability it can find.
Discover the rest of our NHL news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply