Report: Senators ‘pushing hard’ for Linus Ullmark in trade market originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Ottawa Senators are in desperate need of an upgrade to their goaltending and have not relented in their pursuit of a Linus Ullmark trade with the Boston Bruins, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen.
“Although league sources told Postmedia earlier in the day that the Senators had already stepped up their efforts to acquire goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, Ottawa may be the last serious team in the mix,” Garrioch wrote in a story published Wednesday was published.
Garrioch later wrote: “League sources say the Senators have returned to the Bruins to see if there is an opportunity to acquire Ullmark to stabilize the club’s struggling net and that those talks have intensified.” He also noted that Steve Staios, president of the Senators’ hockey operations and general manager, “has put a lot of effort into acquiring Ullmark.”
The Senators ranked 31st out of 32 teams last season with a save percentage of .884. They also ranked 28th in goals against. Ottawa was a trendy preseason pick to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs, but inadequate goaltending decimated any chance the franchise might have had of achieving that goal. As a result, the Senators finished seventh in the Atlantic Division with 78 points.
Ullmark might be the best goalie the Senators can still target on the trade market. Wednesday was a busy day for goalie trades as the Calgary Flames dealt Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals sent Darcy Kuemper to the Los Angeles Kings.
Trading Ullmark could free up as much as $5 million in salary cap space for the Bruins, allowing rising star Jeremy Swayman to become the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Boston. Swayman was fantastic during the Bruins’ 2024 playoff run, which ended with a Game 6 loss to the Florida Panthers in the second round.
Ullmark has one year left on his contract with a $5 million cap hit. He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2025. His current contract contains a no-trade clause that allows him to veto a move to 15 teams, per CapFriendly.
