A flurry of goaltender trade dominoes fell this week with Darcy Kuemper and Jakob Markstrom moving to the LA Kings and New Jersey Devils respectively, but Linus Ullmark currently remains with the Boston Bruins.
In fact, there's belief around the league that the trade Ullmark shot down at the trade deadline was being shipped out to Los Angeles in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who was instead dealt to Washington for Kuemper this week.
The good news is that there are still NHL teams in need of goaltending help that could be in line for some good, old-fashioned hockey transactions, and the market has actually been pretty robust with goalies bringing back first-round draft picks and impact players like Dubois in trade with other teams.
The 30-year-old Ullmark is head and shoulders above the other two previously dealt goalies in terms of accomplishments and hockey resume, so it’s encouraging that the return would be strong for an All-Star goalie entering the last year of his deal. It remains to be seen, though, if Ullmark’s relocation view has changed at all since Bruins’ breakup day last month when it seemed like he wanted to stick around in Boston next season.
“My future here? I’ve got one more year. I'm very excited about what's to come,” said Ullmark at the beginning of May. “We’re in for a heck of a summer. I'm very motivated, mixed in with some revenge, obviously some inspiration this fall, but most of all, excitement of what's to come.
“Obviously, everybody thinks about, for me personally, that it was a year that wasn't as good as it was prior. 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.”
So who exactly might be in the market for Ullmark at this point as the dust settles?
One NHL team that has been expressly interested in upgrading their goaltending situation is the Ottawa Senators, who have actively sought out Ullmark since the middle of last season when it appeared he might be moving on from the Bruins. That interest in Ullmark has not waned one iota as the league is approaching a busy time of year when it comes to trades, salary cap dumps and free-agent contracts.
The Senators finished 31st in the NHL with an .884 save percentage last season as Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg really struggled in net behind a young Ottawa group, and still stand desperately in need of an upgrade for next season with a group hoping to take that next step.
The better news is that the Sens definitely have some pieces to move whether it’s veteran top-4 defenseman Jakob Chychrun, who could upgrade an already strong Bruins back-end situation to what could be a Stanley Cup-caliber blue line group, or other valued assets they have to negotiate with over trades.
Obviously, B’s fans are allowed to have hockey fantasies where Ullmark is the centerpiece to a Brady Tkachuk blockbuster between the Bruins and Senators, as the 24-year-old Tkachuk would be a perfect power forward fit for the Black and Gold at this point. But it’s much more likely that the 26-year-old Chychrun is in the discussion for the Bruins goaltender if a trade goes through between the two Atlantic Division rivals, or draft picks (the Sens have the 7th and 25th overall picks in the 2024 NHL draft the seventh pick is said to be available in the right trade) and other Senators players like Shane Pinto as well.
The Bruins were interested in the former first-round pick Chychrun when he was with the Arizona Coyotes and would still be after the D-man posted 14 goals and 41 points for the Sens while playing in all 82 games last season. Sure, he was a minus-30 as well, but he was playing on a dreadfully bad Sens team in terms of defense and goaltending.
The sticking point, once again, might be Ullmark holding out to waive his no-trade clause to move to a team like Ottawa. One thing that could draw Ullmark to Ottawa is the strong Swede connection where Swedish national hero Daniel Alfredsson is heavily involved in the Senators management operations these days and would be a draw for a player like Ullmark who seems reticent to leave a Boston market where he’s very comfortable.
In fact, that might be why the Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta is reporting that Ullmark would indeed accept a trade to Ottawa if a deal can be worked out between the two sides, and that it’s eventually going to happen.
“There is a growing belief that Ullmark will find a new home within the next two weeks. The Bruins have other holes to fill, and with Jeremy Swayman about to cash in on a big contract extension – I’m told those discussions are moving positively – Ullmark is preparing for a potential move,” wrote Pagnotta. “[Don] Sweeney is expected to escalate some of those other trade talks as early today, though it is unclear how many teams remain in the hunt. As I mentioned on NHL Network on Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators pushed for Ullmark during the season and have recently circled back in a big way.
“Ottawa is also believed to be on [Ullmark’s no-trade] list, but two separate sources have told me he would accept a trade to the Senators if a deal between the two teams is finalized.”
The Ottawa Sun reported in May that the Bruins and Senators had trade discussions back during the season where Ullmark would have been sent to the Sens in exchange for Chychrun and a first-round pick, so there is absolutely a chance that those conversations are rekindled in the coming days.
Particularly now that so many of the other previously available NHL goaltenders have been taken off the board, Ullmark is the big goalie prize still on the trade market ahead of the NHL Draft and the July 1 open of free agency. Conversely, the Senators might also be the last remaining possible landing spot for Ullmark if the B’s hope to move the Vezina Trophy-winning goalie and reap the $5 million in salary cap savings as they prepare to extend Swayman and make some impactful upgrades to their roster this summer.
The bottom line is there is a lot of smoke around Ullmark getting moved to the Senators in the weeks ahead, so make sure to stay tuned to this rumor that simply won’t go away.