Getty The Boston Bruins could land a top-tier defenseman in exchange for Linus Ullmark.
The Ottawa Senators are intensifying efforts to trade for Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark with the goalie considered one of the best players still available.
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported the Senators’ ramping up their efforts to land Ullmark on June 19. The report followed the news of the New Jersey Devils trade for Calgary Flames‘ Jacob Markstrom, removing him from the market.
“League sources say the Senators have circled back to the Bruins to see if there’s a fit to acquire Ullmark to steady the club’s struggling net, and those talks have intensified,” Garrioch reported.
The Senators insider added that league sources had already told the outlet about the interest of Ottawa in acquiring Ullmark. Garrioch doubled down on that feeling, writing “Ottawa may now be the last serious team in the mix.”
Although the Senators are the only team that can help the Bruins ahead of the season by removing Ullmark’s salary from their books via trade, that won’t come cheap.
Andrew Fantucchio of Boston Hockey Now touched on the potential packages the Senators could offer to Boston mentioning two top-tier assets expected to make it there: defenseman Jakob Chychrun and a first-round pick in the 2024 draft.
The Senators have a surplus of left-side defensemen, including Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson, but lack a bonafide starting goalie. They also have two first-round picks in the upcoming draft.
Senators’ Assets include 1st-Round Pick & Jakob Chychrun
One option for the Senators is to offer a first-round pick, although that alone might not be enough for Boston to accept the offer submitted by Ottawa.
“There may be room to negotiate over Chychrun, but any scenario in which the Bruins send Ullmark to Ottawa without getting a first-round draft pick back in return is highly unlikely,” Fantucchio wrote.
The Markstrom trade completed on June 19 could provide a good framework for any Ullmark trade completed shortly. The Flames got a first-rounder along with a player in the Markstrom trade, so it’s reasonable to expect the Bruins to demand at least the same.
According to Fantucchio, Senators senior vice president Dave Poulin “has discussed parting with the No. 7 overall pick.” The analyst thinks the Bruins “may be just as satisfied with the same No. 25 overall selection.”
Jakob Chychrun gives the Sens a 2-0 lead over the Bruins!
The other significant trade asset the Bruins will demand from Ottawa in a trade for Ullmark involves Jakob Chychrun. Lyle Richardson of Bleacher Report already mentioned him in a June 7 trade proposal.
Chychrun is entering the final year of his contract boasting a $4.6 million cap hit. He was hesitant about his future with the Senators of late, making a trade a viable
If Ottawa fears the player will eventually leave, it’s fair to assume they will try to trade him for something.
Jakob Chychrun asked if Ottawa is the place he wants to play the next couple of years:
“It’s a tough question, I don’t know. I honestly have not thought about that. I know I have 1 more year left (on my contract). There haven’t been talks of an extension or anything so I…
The Bruins also need a left-handed defenseman, and Chychrun could fill that role in a swap for Linus Ullmark.
“At 26 and just now entering his prime, he is very much worthy of a top-four role,” Fantucchio wrote. “Effective at both ends of the ice, Chychrun would make for a reliable partner next to either Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo on the Bruins’ blue line while playing minutes on both special teams units.”
Bruins’ Linus Ullmark Expected to Leave Boston
Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner, has been a key player for the Bruins but has found his future with the team uncertain. That’s mostly after Jeremy Swayman emerged as Boston’s top goalie relegating Ullmark to a secondary role.
Ullmark, however, posted a .915 save percentage in 40 games through the 2023-24 regular season.
Considering Ullmark is the Bruins 1B to Swayman’s ever-growing 1A and the former’s $5 million cap hit, it’s reasonable to think the Bruins will try to move Ullmark.
Kevin Weekes of NHL Network reported on March 8 that Ullmark had used his modified no-trade clause, per NHL News, blocking a trade before the deadline. According to the outlet Ullmark rejected a move to a Western Conference team.
.@KevinWeekes on ESPN The Point says #NHLBruins thought they had something with Linus Ullmark, “so there was a deal that he essentially nixed, in large part based on geography, I’m told.”
Additionally, Bruins GM Don Sweeney said during the team’s exit interviews on May 22 that he will “explore opportunities,” regarding a potential Ullmark trade.
“In a perfect world, we would keep the tandem. Because I think it’s damn good,” Sweeney said on May 22. “But we’re going to explore opportunities. My phone’s going to ring. I’m going to make calls. That’s just what the job requires.”
According to Garrioch, Poulin told Senators’ fans that the club’s hockey operations department “knows it has to improve the goaltending.”