THE Ottawa Senators added another veteran to their 2024 training camp roster. They signed a 35-year-old goaltender Dustin Tokarskiwho was on the ice today for the club’s first on-ice sessions.
Tokarski helped Canada win its fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2009 World Junior Championship. He has since proven himself a valuable goaltender at the professional level, but has never cracked the NHL full-time.
His career was spent in Tampa, MontrealAnaheim, Buffalo and Pittsburgh organizations. His longest NHL tenure came in Buffalo in 2021-22, when he started 29 times for the Sabers.
Tokarski’s arrival in Ottawa on PTO is probably due to Leevi MerilainenMerilainen was expected to be the Senators’ No. 1 goalie at the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, but he missed the tournament with a groin injury and was still out today as the big dogs hit the ice for the first time in camp.
In fact, the Senators had just five goalies on their main roster going into camp – Linus Ullmark, Anton Forsberg, Mads SogaardMerilainen, and Michael Simpson. Tokarski reinstates the number, provides more competition for the camp, not to mention insurance in Belleville if Merilainen’s injury isn’t short term. They say it’s a small adjustment, but with groins, you never know.
At first glance, five seems like an odd number, given that in the past the club has needed a sixth goalie to round out its ECHL roster. But after two years of affiliation with Allen’s Americans, the Senators will be one of three NHL teams (Carolina, Columbus) without an ECHL affiliation this season.
That said, it’s almost certain that the Senators will send a few of their contracted players to the ECHL on loan this season.
Last year’s six-man roster consisted of Forsberg, Joonas Korpisalo, Kevin MandoleseMerilainen, Mark Sinclair and Sogaard.
Thinking back to two years ago, when the Sens suffered injuries to both of their NHL goaltenders, Forsberg and Cam Talbotand ultimately used seven different goalies, Tokarski’s arrival is another reminder of how quickly an organization’s goaltending depth can be tested.
