Yesterday morning on the Leafs Morning Take, Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark was interviewed by Nick Alberga and Carter Hutton. A few of the questions involved the Toronto Maple Leafs. Read on to learn what was said and my take on it…
About the Maple Leafs’ Goaltending During the Playoffs
Unsurprisingly, Ullmark was asked to comment about Toronto’s goaltending in their first-round series against the Bruins and Joseph Woll. He didn’t need too much time to come up with an answer on that one:
I was surprised that they kept [Ilya] Samsonov in for that many games against us in the playoffs,” said Ullmark. “I felt that every time we played the Leafs and he [Joseph Woll] was in net, it felt like it was more of a challenge even though I’m not a player. Just watching him, it looked like he was in so much more control of the situation that was thrown at him.
It is hard to disagree with him on that one. The Maple Leafs waited to be down 3-1 before starting Woll, and Ilya Samsonov’s play was anything but good. It would have been fairer to the rookie to start him before being on the brink of elimination. The fact that he came in to take over from Samsonov in Game 4 might have helped settle any jitters, but it is still a tough situation to put a 25-year-old in.
I completely agree with the control comment. There were a few worrying moments in Game 7, but none more than when David Pastrnak flew at full speed to get the puck right in front of Samsonov and put Toronto out of its misery by closing the book on the series. At that stage, the Maple Leafs’ goaltender needed to assess the situation better and move forward to handle the errant puck. He might have said he was comfortable about making that decision and would make the same today if he had to, but I do not buy it, to be perfectly honest.
It looks like the Maple Leafs are not buying it either since they were reportedly in on the Jacob Markstrom derby. Samsonov has not had the best year performance-wise either, but he admitted that his mental struggles and lack of confidence might have had something to do with the arbitration process he went through to sign his last contract. Having prepared arbitration documents for a firm in the past, I can tell you the team’s lawyer puts a magnifying glass on every little flaw, and it’s understandable that it could shake up a player.
About Ullmark’s Future
There’s no two ways about it. Ullmark’s first choice would be to remain with the Bruins, but he admits that he asks himself if it was his last season in Boston every year. He would surely miss his strong partnership and friendship with Jeremy Swayman (I’m not even a fan, and I will miss the goalie hug), but hockey is, first and foremost, a business.
As of now, he remains under contract with the Bruins, but once the calendar turns to July, he will be entering the last year of the deal. It would be shocking if they did not trade him before the start of next season.
However, he has a modified no-trade clause, which allows him to list 16 teams he would not accept to be traded to. On July 1, it becomes a list of 15 teams which still seriously limits Boston’s ability to trade him. Asked by the hosts if he would be willing to play for the Maple Leafs since they were looking for an upgrade in net, he went for a rather safe answer. Ullmark praised Toronto, saying they were great to play against and they were contenders, but, as things stood, he liked playing against them, and he wants to continue playing against them with the Bruins.
Related: Maple Leafs Should Target Linus Ullmark With Jacob Markstrom Off the Market
They stopped short of asking him if Toronto would be on his no-trade list, which is a shame, but I’m not sure it would be. After all, he did play for the Buffalo Sabres before signing as an unrestricted free agent with the Bruins. It looks like the east of North America suits him fine. Would he want to suit up for a rival team, though? That remains to be seen.
