Netminder is coming off three uninspiring years with Philadelphia Flyers and has never posted season save percentage above .900.

As calculated as it may be, the Ottawa Senators are taking a risk with Samuel Ersson.

The goaltender, who signed a two-year, $4.4-million contract with Ottawa on July 1, is coming off the worst statistical season of his career with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Making a minimum of 15 NHL starts in 2025-26, a single goalie had a save percentage worse than Ersson’s .870 — his now-teammate Leevi Meriläinen (.860).

But the Senators clearly see something in Ersson. Coach Travis Green noted on the first day of training camp Thursday that goalie coach Justin Peters and Maciej Szwoch, the team’s new coordinator of goaltending scouting and development, are confident in his abilities.

“Well, I think he’s a pretty good goalie,” Green said. “I know the numbers didn’t say that last year, but I know he was better down the stretch.”

Indeed, Ersson was a huge factor in the Flyers scraping into the Stanley Cup playoffs in the spring. Backing up Dan Vladar, he went 6-1-0 with a .912 save percentage after Feb. 26.

It was a good note to end on. Life in the crease hadn’t been easy the past few years.

After a respectable rookie stint with the Flyers in 2022-23 at age 23, going 6-3-0 with an .899 SV%, Ersson’s numbers steadily dropped off with added responsibility. He was 23-19-7 with an .890 SV% in 2023-24, and went 22-17-5 with an .883 SV% in 2024-25.

“I mean, I got a really good opportunity in Philly, which I’m really grateful for,” Ersson said. “Obviously, things happened there the way they did. I think I kind of had to push myself to kind of develop maybe a little bit faster, but that’s only a good thing.

“That’s what you want. You want to play a lot of games and I was lucky enough to have the chance to get a lot of games on Philly, which I’m super grateful for.”

Ersson has dealt with numerous groin injuries in his pro career, forcing him to miss considerable time. There were games, no doubt, that he played at less than 100% after Carter Hart was placed on leave and the Flyers were starved for a consistent starter.

“It’s tough being injured, but you also learn from it,” Ersson said. “I’ve been fortunate to work with some really good people, and I think the guys here, like the strength coaches, they’re a really good group here.

“We’ve had conversations about kind of what I need (in order) to be in a good spot health-wise, and I think my body is feeling really good this time around.”

There should be a slight concern with in-game workload and the fit within Ottawa’s system. Ersson has customarily been far better with increased shots against. The Senators gave up 24.4 shots against per game last season, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for second-fewest in the league.

He still has the tools, though, lauded as a youngster for his athleticism and competitiveness. And at age 26, he is on the precipice of a goaltender’s prime — the average age of NHL netminders in 2025-26 was a few days from 30-years-old — so there is time to further develop.

A change of scenery could also be part of the remedy. As the Ottawa Citizen‘s Bruce Garrioch reported in July, one league executive believes that getting Ersson out of Philly is a good first step.

So, too, may be linking up with fellow Swede Linus Ullmark again. The pair met for the first time at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February of 2025.

“He made a good impression on me at that point,” Ullmark said of Ersson. “So, once everything was said and done and he was going to be a part of this organization, I was very happy. It’s always fun to have a fellow Swede to join the ranks, but also for me as well, as a Swedish goaltender, it’s nice to have conversation with him on a daily basis.

“Hopefully, I can show the way for him as well, being an older guy. I feel like I’m more comfortable in (that position) now than I used to be.”

If all goes to plan, Ersson will likely see 25-30 starts this season in a backup role. From the outside looking in, it’s a mini-reset and an opportunity to address inconsistencies in his game, all while the pressure is largely on another goalie.

Respectfully, Ersson sees it differently.

“I don’t think I look at it that way,” he said. “I try to have a very, like, day-to-day (approach) and game-to-game (approach). I’m just trying to do my best to compete every day, every practice, every chance I get. And obviously, you’re always trying to push for as much games and starts as possible.”

If Peters, Szwoch and general manager Steve Staios have this right and the best hockey of Ersson’s career is ahead of him, some told-you-sos will be in order.

For Green, whose team struggled to escape the Atlantic Division basement midway through last season due to historically bad goaltending, he’ll probably be more than satisfied with anything around average or better in the crease.

“Goaltending’s a funny position,” the coach said. “You can have good years, off years. I have a lot of trust in those guys for determining what makes a good goalie.

“For me, I don’t proclaim to be a goalie expert. I’ve said it to you guys many times: I like the ones who stop the pucks, and not the ones that don’t, not as much.”