NHL: Ottawa Senators at Boston Bruins — Have we seen the last of Linus Ullmark in Boston?

3 reasons why Boston Bruins should trade away Linus Ullmark

Modified May 20, 2024 20:25 GMT

Linus Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy in 2023 and has one year remaining on his contract, valued at $5 million. After a historic campaign with 40 wins, he leveled off in 2023-24 with a 22-10-7 record.

At the NHL trade deadline in March, Boston had a deal with the Los Angeles Kings that Ullmark vetoed with his modified no-movement clause. So, the team and netminder finished out the regular season together.

However, after being the primary goalie in last season's first round, Ullmark only started one game in 2024, seeing 77:01 of ice time as the Panthers defeated the Bruins in Game 6 of the second round.

Now that restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman will receive a monster extension this offseason, Boston can no longer afford to keep Ullmark and remain competitive. If the postseason was any indication, the team is ready to pursue options to move Ullmark.

3 reasons why Boston Bruins should trade away Linus Ullmark

#3. The Bruins need to utilize his status to boost the lineup

As mentioned, the Swedish netminder is a former Vezina Trophy winner with a career record of 138-73-23 with a 2.51 GAA and .919 SV%. Despite beginning his career with the Buffalo Sabres, he hasn't had a losing season since 2018, and there are plenty of teams in the market for an elite number-one goalie.

The New Jersey Devils need a goalie to complement their young core of superstars. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Kings have all the pieces to be Stanley Cup contenders in a competitive Western Conference but need a game-breaker netminder to get them over the hump.

Additionally, the Toronto Maple Leafs have Joseph Woll but need another goalie to form a tandem to give the team a chance to win every night. Considering that several contending teams need a legit number-one backstopper, they will have the pieces the Bruins need in return for a blockbuster trade.

#2. Jeremy Swayman is the future of the Boston crease

While serving as Tuukka Rask's understudy, Swayman began his career with a 7-3-0 record in 2020–21. He shared the crease in 2021-22 with Ullmark, who came to town as a free agent signee, collecting a 23-14-3 record in 42 games.

After earning All-Rookie honors and finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting, it was clear that the Bruins had their goalie of the future and, at some point, would need an extension that rivaled superstar David Pastrnak, who owns the franchise's richest contract at eight years and $90 million.

Now, Swayman will not make that kind of money, but Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets) just signed a seven-year deal valued at $59 million. Although he hasn't won a Vezina Trophy yet, Swayman has a higher win percentage than Hellebuyck through their first four seasons: .598 to .551.

Like Hellebuyck's importance to the Jets franchise, Swayman means just as much to the Bruins, and his next contract will push his batterymate out of the budget.

#1. Bruins management finishes what they started at the NHL trade deadline

At the recent NHL trade deadline, the Bruins made it clear that Swayman is the guy for the club and that his partner is available, which means "The cat is out of the bag."

There's no hiding that Boston tried to swap the former Vezina Trophy winner but failed. As everyone prepares for the upcoming season, 31 teams know the Bruins' plans regarding their goalies. One's staying, and the other has to move on.

Unfortunately, with his contract set to expire, the time has come for the Bruins to move on from Ullmark, thus ending the memorable goalie hugs at the end of victories.