In this edition of the Ottawa Senators News & Rumors, we have a look at the acquisition of Linus Ullmark, the contradicting reports of his no-trade clause, and a potential contract extension. On top of that, the Boston Bruins were asking for one high-end center, but ended up with Mark Kastelic. All of that and more can be found right here!
Acquiring Linus Ullmark
Have the Senators ever had a goalie of this pedigree? The only ones that come to mind are Ron Tugnutt and 41-year-old Dominik Hasek. Craig Anderson and Patrick Lalime were solid and Ray Emery was good, but none compare to the stature that Ullmark is bringing. Will he be as impactful as the others? Who knows. But at the time of acquisition, Ullmark is among the best.
With parts of nine NHL seasons under his belt, Ullmark has only finished one season with a save percentage (SV%) under .913. That kind of consistency is something Ottawa needs desperately. He won the Vezina Trophy in the 2022-23 season with a .938 SV% and 40 wins. It isn’t realistic to expect Ullmark to have that kind of season again with Ottawa, but he is more than capable of being one of the top goalies in the league, and he proved that in his last three seasons.
Ullmark’s No-Move Clause
There have been plenty of reports that Ullmark had waived his no-trade clause to join the Senators. Bruce Garrioch, David Pagnotta, and even Elliotte Friedman have all suggested, or outright said it as fact.
In the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts, Friedman said that he has been told that stating that the Senators were on his no-trade list may have been untrue. There are a lot of moving pieces with a clause like this, and with the Senators signing Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year deal, Ullmark may have felt that they found their goalie and wouldn’t be in the market for another, therefore leaving the Senators off his list.
While some reports are conflicting, it doesn’t matter now. Ullmark is a Senator and may be signed long-term shortly.
Getting Ullmark Signed
Many people were surprised to see that a contract extension didn’t come with the Ullmark trade, but any extension agreed upon is unable to be announced until July 1.
Related: Bruins Trade Ullmark to the Senators…Get Korpisalo & 1st Round Pick Back
Some reports have said that an extension is likely agreed upon in a five-year, $7 million per season range, while others, including Friedman, have reported that Ullmark would be willing to bet on himself and play out the year without an extension. With the way things have gone in Ottawa, especially with Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun’s contract situations, general manager Steve Staios likely doesn’t make this deal if he doesn’t think an extension can be done.
Retaining $1 million on Korpisalo for four seasons isn’t bad, and is better than a buyout, but considering that this season, before a potential Ullmark extension, the Senators will be paying nearly $9 million on their goaltenders, they need to make bigger moves in the lineup to get much closer to a playoff spot than they were this season.
Pinto Wasn’t Available
Garrioch reported that the Bruins were asking for Shane Pinto to be coming the other way, and why wouldn’t they? The Bruins need centermen, and Pinto is a highly valuable, upcoming center who plays a strong two-way game and is currently a restricted free agent (from ‘Ottawa Senators score goaltender Linus Ullmark in blockbuster trade with Bruins,’ Ottawa Sun, June 24, 2024).
Somehow, the Senators were able to say no to trading Pinto, and Garrioch further reports that they have absolutely zero interest in moving him, but still get away with a package this good for the club. The first-round pick acquired in the DeBrincat trade to the Detroit Red Wings would have been nice to keep, but there isn’t much of a chance that the 25th overall pick is as impactful as Ullmark projects to be.
On top of moving the Korpisalo contract and the pick, the Senators also traded Kastelic. He might not be as good of a center as the Bruins hoped, but when you watch him play, you can certainly envision him as a Bruin. His depth role as a physical, gritty, and tough-to-play-against forward will fit in very well.
One of the biggest deals the Senators needed to make this year, as announced by Dave Poulin, was to upgrade their goaltending. They are far from done, though. With rumors about trading back in the draft, free agency, and more work to do, there will be no shortage of work to do for the Senators’ front office.
