Trade discussions have heated up Thursday afternoon, with multiple sources claiming that Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark could be transferred by the end of the week. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the Ottawa Senators are preparing to purchase a goalkeeper. The Senators are tied to Ullmark and have two first-round draft picks to offer.
The Bruins are not interested in re-signing goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who has four years remaining on his deal. The Bruins intend to re-sign Jeremy Swayman and have AHL goaltender Brandon Bussi lined up as a backup netminder. Boston General Manager Don Sweeney has long desired defenseman Jakob Chychrun, and the money would suffice for the time being, with Chychrun set to sign a new contract next season.
Ullmark has a 14-team no-trade list, and sources suggest that the former Vezina Trophy winner would waive his clause for Ottawa right now. This will make it easier for Boston to negotiate a deal and typically signals that the teams are far along in trade talks.
The question is, what will the return be? Ottawa has the seventh and 25th picks in the 2024 NHL Draft. The second pick was originally Boston’s. Other teams in need of goaltending include Toronto (which is on Ullmark’s no-trade list), Detroit, and Carolina. New Jersey and Los Angeles both acquired goaltenders on Wednesday. All signals point to Boston and Ottawa as the best trade partners right now.
This season, Ullmark went 22-10-7 with a 2.57 goals against average and a.915 save percentage. The 30-year-old played alongside Swayman but fell to his counterpart during the Bruins’ playoff run, starting only one game. The Swedish netminder has one year remaining on his $5 million contract with the Bruins.
