The Vancouver Canucks have claimed goaltender Leevi Meriläinen off waivers from the Ottawa Senators, the team announced on Friday.
Meriläinen, 24, appeared in 20 games for the Senators last season, going 8-10-1 with an .860 save percentage and 3.51 goals against average.
The 6-foot-3 netminder was placed on waivers on Thursday, signaling that newly acquired netminder Samuel Ersson won the backup goalie role behind starter Linus Ullmark.
Drafted 71st overall by the Senators in 2020, Meriläinen has a career 16-14-3 record with a 3.00 GAA and an .885 save percentage.
His best season came during the 2024-25 campaign where he went 8-3-1 with a 1.99 GAA and .925 save percentage to help the Senators to their first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 campaign.
The Senators begin their regular season on Oct. 3 in a matchup against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, where Ullmark is expected to get the start in net.
Vancouver opens the regular season on Oct. 1 at home against the Edmonton Oilers.
