Before the NHL Draft: Are the Senators Targeting Bruins Star Goalie Linus Ullmark?

Before the NHL Draft: Are the Senators Targeting Bruins Star Goalie Linus Ullmark?

NHL teams looking for a goaltending improvement should contact Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney within the next month. The Bruins have two of the league’s top 15 goaltenders, Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark. However, keeping this combo together could be costly this summer, since Swayman is a restricted free agent who is available for a new contract.

If the Bruins and Swayman reach an agreement on a long-term extension with a salary cap hit of $5 million or more, the team will spend more than $10 million on goaltenders in 2024-25. Ullmark has one year remaining on his contract, with a $5 million cap hit. That would be a lot of money tied up at the goaltender position, especially for a team like the Boston Bruins, which has multiple roster flaws to address this offseason. Swayman is fresh off an incredible run in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, during which the 25-year-old standout solidified himself as the franchise’s undisputed number one goaltender.

The ideal conclusion for the Bruins would be to trade Ullmark before next season. A transaction of this nature may provide the Bruins with crucial cap space as well as other assets such as draft selections or prospects. Which teams might be interested in trading Ullmark? Keep an eye on your division rivals, the Ottawa Senators.

After failing to acquire goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins at the NHL trade deadline in March, (Senators GM Steve) Staios and the club’s hockey operations department are expected to make another pitch before the draft, which is scheduled for June 28-29 in Las Vegas,” Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported last week. “The Senators, Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils were among several teams that made a push for the 30-year-old Ullmark before the deadline.” According to CapFriendly, Ullmark’s contract includes a 16-team no-trade list, which will be reduced to 15 teams in 2024-25. As a result, Ullmark has some say over his future if the Bruins try to trade him.

This past season, the Senators were anticipated to make a step forward as a team by making the playoffs. However, the Senators were never close to making the playoffs, finishing 13 points below the Eastern Conference’s second wild card place. Poor goaltending was the primary cause of Ottawa’s disappointing 2023-24 season. During the regular season, the Senators had a team save percentage of.884, ranking 31st out of 32 teams.

It’s difficult to value goalies on the trade market. Few Vezina-winning goaltenders ever got traded. Recent trades involving quality goaltenders did not produce spectacular returns. “A league executive said Thursday he believes the Senators would likely have to offer defenceman Jakob Chychrun along with a first-round pick and another selection to acquire Ullmark,” Garrioch stated. “Even then, he has the hammer because he does have the modified no-trade clause.”

A first-round selection, another pick, and a true top-four defenseman in Chychrun appear to be a massive overpayment from the Senators’ perspective. Ullmark is a fantastic goalie who won the Vezina Trophy last season, but it would be a lot for Ottawa to give up, especially since the Swedish stopper is 30 years old and might leave as a free agency next summer. The Senators hold two 2024 first-round picks: their own (No. 7 overall) and the Bruins’ (No. 25 overall). Boston’s selection was initially given to the Detroit Red Wings in the Tyler Bertuzzi trade in March 2023. In July 2023, the Red Wings traded it to the Senators in exchange for Alex DeBrincat.

If the Bruins could acquire a first-round pick in exchange for Ullmark, that would be an excellent return. However, the most essential item the Bruins need to gain in any prospective Ullmark deal is salary cap space, as an extra few million dollars would be extremely beneficial in the team’s pursuit for additional scoring.