The biggest question mark this offseason on the Boston Bruins roster is going to be a player that many have already assumed would be automatic trade bait this summer.
Linus Ullmark watched the bulk of this Stanley Cup playoff run as the backup goaltender while Jeremy Swayman took over and showed he could be a true No. 1 goaltender while leading all netminders with a .933 save percentage during the Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s also entering the last year of his contract with the Black and Gold while Swayman is poised for a big payday this summer as Boston will most assuredly want to avoid arbitration, offer sheets or anything else that could complicate the situation.
In Ullmark's defense, he had a strong regular season and performed well in his only postseason appearance against Toronto, but he has never played like Swayman over the course of a playoff run. And that's kind of a big deal.
The Bruins will have roughly $20 million in salary cap space this summer, and that could jump to roughly $25 million if they can find a way to move Ullmark to another team in a trade. That’s a bit easier said than done given that Ullmark still has no trade protection with a 15-team list he can’t be moved to in a deal. Last season at the trade deadline the Bruins reportedly had a deal with the Los Angeles Kings to move Ullmark, but he wouldn’t agree to move away from his family after making their hockey season home in the suburbs of Boston.
It's something that Ullmark alluded to while discussing his situation with the media during last weekend’s Bruins breakup day.
“That’s also one of the things that was new for me this year. I’ve never been a part of any trade talks before, so that was a new experience,” said Ullmark. “Was it hard? Yeah, it was hard because you’re very comfortable where you are. You don’t want to move when you feel like you’re playing well, and you have the team and your teammates.
“So with that popping up now, I’m not the only one that has been in trade talks, obviously. There were other goaltenders out there in the league as well that had a lot of rumors that they might get dealt and there might not be any opportunities for any of them. And for me, it’s above my pay grade as well, really. If I could, I’m probably going to say the same thing as everybody else: I want to stay and I’m going to stay. But yeah, we’ll live in a world where in professional sports we’ve got to deal with the hand you’ve been dealt. Like I said, I have one more year. I wouldn’t want anything else [more] than to come back here and get a little bit of a revenge tour.”
That’s what is going to be challenging about Ullmark and this summer. To some degree, Ullmark holds control of the situation with his no-trade clause, and he made it clear he and his family really didn’t want to go anywhere.
“I would say it’s more on the personal side,” said Ullmark, of the biggest reasons behind wanting to stick with the Bruins. “We felt that ever since we came to Boston, we’ve been embraced by not only the city, but the team and the people that work throughout the organization. Like, everybody has been so nice, caring and lovable. We felt that ever since our day one. And that makes you feel at home, that makes you want to stay there. When you have that good thing behind you, you don’t want to move just because you have to move or something. You want to stay.
“That’s just what it comes down to. It doesn’t really matter how it goes on the ice. If you’re feeling that your life is taken care of off to the side, and that your family’s well and they’re thriving and enjoying their time in school and with friends, you don’t want to uproot them just because. I think that goes to anyone that has kids and families. It doesn’t matter what kind of a job you have, if you feel that, ‘You know what? I’m very comfortable and I like it here,’ you don’t really want to move at that point.”
Ullmark was asked about the criteria behind the teams on his no-trade list and he was fairly coy about the whole thing. One would guess some are geographical with West Coast teams on that list, and the Bruins goaltender intimated that some of it might also have to the quality level of some organizations as well.
If Ullmark really was intent on sticking in Boston, you might also put the teams most desperate for goaltending on a no-trade list of teams as well. Whatever the reasons, Ullmark wasn’t going to fully divulge any of it.
“My future here? I got one more year [left on my contract],” said Ullmark. “I’m very excited about what’s to come. It’s going to be a heck of a summer.
“I’m very motivated, mixed in with some revenge, obviously, some inspiration as well. But most of all, the excitement of, what’s to come. So, yeah, I felt that obviously everybody thinks for me personally, that it was a year that I wasn’t as good as I was [the year] prior. And for me, though, it’s all about personal growth, and I learned a lot about myself and different aspects of the game and also how I am as a human being.”
KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE
Loved the insight from Brandon Carlo, who has really matured into a steady, reliable top-4 defenseman capable of shutting down offensive players and killing penalties but also a family man and father of two kids. The youngest was born between playoff series and Carlo rushed down to Florida Game 1 before scoring a goal in the big opening win of the series.
But that’s not what Carlo took the most pride in for this season. It was about gaining a new perspective on everything thanks to his children, his maturity and realizing that not everything is about hockey.
“I kind of just really focused more so on cultivating the side of me that wasn't a hockey player. I feel like a lot of times I got caught up just putting in too much of my identity in what I do in my job and I'm grateful for the perspective that I've learned this year and I feel like that helped my game a lot. You know, babies will do that,” said Carlo. “Family will do that. And there's just so much outside of the game that I feel so good about so blessed for just recognizing that this is the game that I played since I was a kid and how fun that I'm still able to do it.
“I think about so many teammates that I played with over the years and to still be here and never really working like a real job has been pretty incredible. So no, I love it. I never want it to be over.”
ONE TIMERS
*While Jake DeBrusk said winning a Cup was his No. 1 priority with choosing where he wants to play as a looming unrestricted free agent come July 1, that obviously doesn’t rule out the Boston Bruins. After finishing as Boston’s leading scorer in the Stanley Cup playoffs, DeBrusk said he still sees a pathway toward re-signing in Boston and staying in Black and Gold.
“I see a path here,” said DeBrusk. “I still have hope and if you told me at the beginning of the year I’d be here without a contract, I wouldn’t believe you. But at the same time, I’ve always loved my time here. Just a lot of great memories even from my rookie season to — like I said — now my seventh year in the playoffs. Lots of good memories and lots of good things that hit you on the emotional side of things.”
It remains to be seen if the Bruins share that same kind of sentiment when they typically lock up players like DeBrusk well before they get this close to free agency, but at least hope is still alive for the winger.
*Speaking of free agency, Matt Grzelcyk is another player approaching unrestricted free agency who may be looking for a new NHL address after not getting into any more playoff games after a Game 5 OT loss to Toronto. The game-winning goal was John Tavares putting his head down and driving the net with Grzelcyk on his back before Matthew Knies popped in the loose puck rebound in front.
Grzelcyk said he hadn’t met with management or the coaching staff, so he didn’t really know what the future held for him.
“This is the only place that I’ve known and the place that I grew up wanting to be,” said Grzelcyk. “It's been an unbelievable experience since I've been here and I'm so grateful for the opportunity and not only getting to play here but to be around a special place and special people that are within the organization. Those are things that I'm starting to look back on and cherish.”
*Pat Maroon said he would “love to be” a part of the Boston Bruins again next season as he’s another played headed to unrestricted free agency. The 34-year-old forward definitely provides a unique blend of toughness and size/strength in a role that not everybody can play at the NHL level, so there could be a match there.
And Maroon also indicated that the Bruins haven’t seen the best of him yet so soon after returning from back surgery that was done just prior to the NHL trade deadline.
“I had the best experience in my life, in my career to be a part of this group and be a part of this. These guys that really truly care. I can't thank them enough for welcoming me, my wife, and my daughter, my son to be part of it,” said Maroon. “When you go through teams, and we go through a bunch of teams, I felt like this team was it. I really did. Just because of how everyone is and how they act and how they treat everyone. You could tell the leadership group, it's a trickle-down effect in this group and it goes a long way.”
*David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were in a hurry to head out of Boston and hook up with their Team Czechia to participate in the ongoing World Championships in Prague and arrive in time to suit up for Wednesday’s game against Team Canada prior to the elimination rounds.