The Boston Bruins have traded a beloved member of their dynamic goaltending tandem, as they send Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Mark Kastelic, Joonas Korpisalo (25% retained), and a 2024 first round draft pick.
Bruins Trade Linus Ullmark
Although the infamous ‘goalie hug’ will end, it is part of an effort to bring back some of the many pieces that gave them some of the winningest seasons in franchise history.
Boston bought big in recent years to try to win a cup, and now they need to bring back the many pieces they added. The Bruins currently have around $20 million in cap space, and some of their impending free agents include Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Patrick Maroon, James van Riemsdyk, Matt Grzelcyk, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Jeremy Swayman.
Ullmark has a five-million-dollar cap hit for the 2024-2025 season and will then become a UFA once again at the age of 31 unless he signs an extension.
He also didn’t have a great 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff, which saw him put up 3.90 goals against average, and a .890 save percentage. Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman had an impressive 2.15 goals against average and a .933 save percentage, where he proved himself once again as the Bruins’ number one guy for the near future.
What Ullmark Provides
Throughout the majority of his NHL career, Ullmark has proven himself to be a solid and steady netminder for those looking for a reliable man in the crease.
He averaged a .917 save percentage throughout his six seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and averaged an even better .923 save percentage over the last three seasons with Boston, playing in a career-high 49 games in the record-setting 2022-2023 season. As mentioned before, those Sabres stats were during the mediocre period of Buffalo’s lengthy history, which makes them even more impressive.
With this in mind, Ullmark will give the (team)’s front office staff some peace of mind by ensuring that they won’t need to worry about their goaltending.
MAIN PHOTO: © Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
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