All eyes are on the Bruins and Ullmark after a flurry of goalie trades.
On Wednesday afternoon, two trades were completed, moving two goaltenders to opposite coasts.
TSN’s Travis Yost originally reported that the New Jersey Devils acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom in a trade with the Calgary Flames in return for 23-year-old defenseman Kevin Bahl and New Jersey’s first-round choice in next year’s draft, which is top-10 protected. Calgary will also retain 31.25% of Markstrom’s remaining compensation for the next two seasons.
A few hours after the Marsktrom transaction was announced, Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman claimed that the Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals had agreed on a trade that would send goalie Darcy Kuemper to Los Angeles in exchange for center Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Now that two goalies have been off the NHL trade market, all eyes will be on the Boston Bruins, who are still interested in Linus Ullmark.
The Bruins have been trying to reach an agreement with Ullmark for months. But, with the 2024 NHL Entry Draft in Las Vegas less than two weeks away, time is running out for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to trade the former Vezina Trophy winner.
The Bruins currently have just three picks in the 2019 draft, none of which are in the first three rounds. With one year remaining on his current contract, selling Ullmark before the draft is the best method for the Bruins to replenish their picks, which they urgently need.
The countdown to the draft, combined with Markstrom’s departure, should only heighten speculation about Ullmark. That being said, it will be intriguing to watch what Boston receives in a hypothetical Ullmark deal now that the price for a goalkeeper has been determined.
However, finding another team ready to pay the high price the Bruins are asking will be much more difficult than before, as the Devils and Kings, two of the teams with the most need in goal this summer, are no longer interested.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators are among the teams still looking for an upgrade in net. Carolina is looking for a new home for Martin Necas, and Ottawa has stated that it is willing to trade their first-round pick in this year’s draft, as well as defenseman Jakob Chychrun. Even yet, Ullmark’s contract condition makes negotiating a deal challenging.
With only one year left on his current contract, Ullmark is expected to become an unrestricted free agency next summer. It’s unlikely that any potential buyer will be prepared to give up high-priced assets without assurance that Ullmark would continue with them beyond the current season.
But before that can be discussed, there’s the question of whether Ullmark will consent to be traded in the first place, given that his contract includes a no-movement clause for 15 teams.
Undoubtedly, the eventual Ullmark move would be painful for the Bruins. However, in just a few hours, it has become even more so.
