Jonas Johansson starts ahead of Sam Ersson.

OTTAWA - When Linus Ullmark went down with an injury Wednesday night, most expected the Senators' crease would belong to Sam Ersson until Ullmark's return.

Well, not so fast.

Instead, head coach Travis Green has elected to start Jonas Johansson against the New York Rangers on Saturday night, passing over the goaltender Ottawa acquired this summer to be Ullmark's backup.

Johansson, acquired from Tampa Bay in September following the loss of Leevi Merilainen to Vancouver on waivers, will make his Senators debut.

The 31-year-old has seven seasons of NHL experience and posted an 11-10-2 record with Tampa Bay last season, recording an .889 save percentage and minus-19.3 goals saved above expected, according to MoneyPuck.com. For his career, Johansson has a minus-35 goals saved above expected, according to Evolving Hockey.

However, he's been solid in Belleville this season, posting a 3-1-1 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.

“Linus is going to be out for a week or two, (so we) thought it'd be best to get him (Johansson) in tonight,” Green said of his decision.

“Ersson just played the other night. (Johansson) played well in Belleville, he has 100 starts and played a lot in the NHL.”

The Senators may already have a goaltending dilemma, and October isn't even over.

Ottawa invested in Ersson this summer, acquiring his rights and signing him to a two-year contract worth $2.2 million annually. The organization then placed Merilainen, its previous backup, on waivers during training camp.

That makes Saturday's decision somewhat surprising.

It's not as though Johansson arrived with a stellar NHL résumé. Tampa Bay placed him on waivers before the season, and Ottawa subsequently acquired him for future considerations.

But Ersson hasn't made a strong case to keep the net, either.

He allowed four goals on 26 shots in Thursday's 6-2 loss to San Jose, dropping his record to 0-3-0 with an .835 save percentage.

There is some important context, however. All three of Ersson's starts have come on the second night of back-to-back games, meaning he has yet to play behind a fully rested Senators team.

Still, Ersson knows he needs to be better.

"I've obviously got to play a whole lot better. It's not been good, not near good enough. So yeah, it sucks,” Ersson said following the loss. “The guys are fighting like crazy. You want to play for them and try to help the team. So, you've just got to be better.”

Ersson currently ranks third-last in the league in expected goals saved per 60 minutes among goaltenders with at least three games played.

Green's decision could simply be an opportunity to give Ersson additional time to work on his game ahead of Ottawa's upcoming West Coast road trip. Or it could suggest the coaching staff's confidence in him has already been shaken.

Either way, it's a situation the Senators hoped to avoid.

Last summer, general manager Steve Staios acknowledged that one of his biggest mistakes during the 2025-26 season was failing to adequately address the backup goaltending position.

Merilainen struggled behind Ullmark, leaving Ottawa without a reliable NHL option when its starter was unavailable.

Staios believed Ersson could be the solution.

“If we put him in our environment with our coaching staff, and give him the support, can he realize his talent? It's a low-risk move. It's a low-cost move that lets us do other things on the roster,” Staios said after acquiring Ersson.

Now, just weeks into the season, the Senators are turning to another goaltender.

It's October 24, and Ottawa still doesn't appear to have a clear answer as to who its second-best goaltender is.

Until Ullmark returns, the question of who should be in the Senators' crease isn't going away.