Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators by the Boston Bruins on Monday for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The 30-year-old goaltender was 22-10-7 with a 2.57 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 regular-season games (39 starts) this season. He was 0-1 with a 3.90 GAA and .886 save percentage in two Stanley Cup Playoff games (one start).
“Linus is an Ottawa Senator and he’s happy to be an Ottawa Senator,” Senators general manager Steve Staios told TSN 1200 on Tuesday. “I had a great conversation with him last night, albeit I felt badly because it was one in the morning back in Sweden, but he was certainly up and spry and energetic on our call. We’re looking forward to getting Linus in. We feel like not only the caliber of goaltender but the caliber of person that he is fits exactly what we’re looking to build from a culture perspective with our Senators. He’s just an outstanding man and a family man.”
Ullmark has one season remaining on a four-year, $20 million contract ($5 million average annual value) he signed with the Bruins as a free agent July 28, 2021.
“That’ll all be part of the process, no doubt, when we do get the opportunity to meet.,” Staois said of a possible contract. “You got through these, you make the acquisition, you make the trade, and so next steps will be further down the line on having Linus in long term for us. Those conversations will certainly be a priority.”
Last season, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender after he went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 GAA, .938 save percentage and two shutouts in 49 regular-season games (48 starts). However, after starting Boston’s first six games against the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round, he was replaced by Jeremy Swayman for Game 7, a 4-3 loss in overtime.
Swayman, who can become a restricted free agent July 1, then went 25-10-8 with a 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage and three shutouts in 44 regular-season games (43 starts) this season. He was Boston’s No. 1 goalie in the postseason, going 6-6 with a 2.15 GAA and .933 save percentage in 12 starts.
Ullmark, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round (No. 163) of the 2012 NHL Draft, is 138-73-23 with a 2.51 GAA, .919 save percentage and eight shutouts in 247 regular-season games (238 starts) for the Sabres and Bruins. He is 3-6 with a 3.59 GAA and .887 save percentage in 10 playoff games (nine starts).
Ottawa’s acquisition of Ullmark comes almost one year after it attempted to shore up its goaltending by signing Korpisalo to a five-year, $20 million contract ($4 million AAV) on July 2, 2023.
However, Korpisalo went 21-26-4 with a 3.27 GAA and .890 save percentage in 55 regular-season games (49 starts) this season. Anton Forsberg was 15-12-0 with a 3.21 GAA, .890 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 games (28 starts), and Mads Sogaard was 1-3-0 with a 4.05 GAA and .859 save percentage in six games (five starts).
Selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round (No. 62) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Korpisalo is 115-107-29 with a 3.06 GAA, .901 save percentage and four shutouts in 276 regular-season games (250 starts) for the Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Senators. The 30-year-old is 5-9 with a 2.59 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 playoff games.
Kastelic had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 63 games this season. The 25-year-old forward, who was selected by Ottawa in the fifth round (No. 125) of the 2019 NHL Draft, had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and 102 penalty minutes in 65 games as a rookie last season.
The first-round pick acquired by the Bruins, which will be No. 25, originally belonged to Boston before it went to Ottawa as part of the trade that sent forward Alex DeBrincat from the Senators to the Detroit Red Wings on July 9, 2023.
Ottawa will retain 25 percent of Korpisalo’s remaining salary.
“It played out that if we were acquiring Linus, we would have to move a goaltender to make that spot for him,” Staois said. “We worked with a lot of teams on certain possibilities. I think when you look at the (Jacob) Markstrom deal (from the Calgary Flames to the New Jersey Devils) getting the market going on the goaltenders, just trying to stay on that and see what values were for them. When you look at all these guys, you look at not only the cap number but also the term. And we felt like it was an opportunity not only to bring in Linus, but to make some opportunity for us moving forward in that position.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Callum Fraser contributed to this report
