Bruins general manager seems inclined to deal Linus Ullmark.
On Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee, during the second period of an NHL hockey game between the Boston Bruins and the Nashville Predators, goaltender Linus Ullmark (35), blocks a shot on goal.
Written by Matt Vautour at mvautour@masslive.com.
Boston — At the Bruins’ press conference on Wednesday at TD Garden for the team’s end-of-season management, Don Sweeney was engaged in more than just chit-chatting with reporters.
Linus Ullmark expressed a wish to remain in Boston, so Sweeney was questioned about whether it made sense to tie up a significant portion of the salary cap in two goalies in order to construct a roster.
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As the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman work toward a long-term contract that will certainly pay Ullmark more than that after a fantastic postseason performance, Ullmark is entering the final season of a $5 million per season deal. Despite having over $21 million in cap room, the Bruins want to bolster their offensive line. More salary room would be available if Ullmark were traded and the Swayman took over as the starting goalie, but trading Ullmark is more difficult because of his 15-team no-trade clause.
“With Jeremy Swayman, we’re going to find a landing spot, and if we can figure out the math, we’ll have the best tandem,” Sweeney declared. “We’re going to investigate if we can’t, and maybe Linus will come to us and change his mind. That might also happen. In a perfect world, we would keep the tandem because I think it’s really fantastic, and we were thrilled to sign Linus. However, we will investigate the possibilities. I’m going to answer calls when my phone rings. That’s exactly what the position calls for.
The crucial line is “If we can make the math work,” as most teams do not invest $11 million or more in their goaltender combination. Unless something else in the squad isn’t working, the math isn’t likely to work for two excellent goalies. The Bruins still benefit from having two outstanding goalies if their efforts to bolster the rest of their squad fall short. This is similar to what happened in 2023–24.
Ullmark, who turns 31 this summer, finished 22-10-7 with a.915 save percentage and a 2.58 goals-against average.
It’s likely that Sweeney was both protecting himself and delivering messages. It’s possible that Ullmark won’t be acquired by the Bruins. There are other top goalies in the market besides him, so it’s probable that teams who aren’t on his block list are also considering Juuse Saros or Jacob Markstrom. Avoiding upsetting Ullmark in case he returns to Boston is Sweeney’s goal.
He also doesn’t want to come across as overly eager to engage with him. Whether it’s a player or draft picks in exchange for a Vezina-winning goalkeeper, Sweeney is driven to acquire value.
