Bruins
Linus Ullmark was candid as usual when he answered the inevitable questions on his future in Boston on Sunday morning.
“My future here? I have another year,” Ullmark admitted. “I'm very excited about what's to come. We're in for a damn hot summer. I am very motivated, coupled with a certain feeling of revenge, of course also some inspiration for this fall, but above all I am excited for what is to come.”
Based on the terms of the four-year, $20 million contract he signed in July 2021, Ullmark is currently on Boston's roster for the 2024-25 season before entering free agency next summer.
Of course, a number of circumstances have modified recently for each the Bruins and Ullmark — especially after Jeremy Swayman emerged because the team's No. 1 netminder through the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With Swayman set for a large raise this summer and Ullmark reportedly using his trade protection to scuttle a deal out West in March, the 30-year-old goaltender knows his future with Boston is anything but guaranteed.
“It’s hard not to hear it,” Ullmark said of trade rumors. “But you may't isolate yourself because then you definitely would live in a hut within the forest and sometimes come here to practice. … I've never been involved in trade discussions before, so this was a brand new experience.
“Was it hard? Yes, it was hard because you feel very comfortable where you are, you don't want to move when you feel like you're playing well and you have the team, you have the bonds, that you have built into your team, teammates.”
In a perfect world, the Bruins would welcome the luxury and stability that comes with having two No. 1 goalies for another 82 games into the 2024-25 season.
Ullmark posted a strong 2023-24 season (22-10-7, .915 save percentage), while Boston's even rep distribution kept both goaltenders fresh for the postseason.
But the Bruins aren't in a position to settle on the status quo at the goalie position — especially with several other areas of the roster in need of upgrades.
With Swayman likely to have an annual cap hit of at least $7 million or more on his next deal, the Bruins cannot allocate at least $12-$13 million of their financial flexibility to a spot on the roster that is one of their top picks -Assets is placed in the bank.
Boston's plans for a goalie rotation during this final playoff push quickly unraveled when Swayman emerged as a wall between the pipes against Toronto. Swayman ended up starting 12 of Boston's 13 playoff games before the team was eliminated in the second round by Florida.
Ullmark's only start came in Game 2 against the Maple Leafs, as the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner allowed three goals on 34 shots in a loss. He was in a game where Boston's defense was knocked out for multiple miscues, but in the playoffs that's a results-oriented affair.
“That’s the thing about professional sports. “One of the hardest things is being on the sidelines because you want the team to be successful, but you also want them to be successful with you,” Ullmark said of his limited reps during this playoff period. “It's definitely one of the hardest things, but I wasn't alone in it.
“Of course there were other people who wanted to play. I thought that with the support system that I have and also the conversations that I've had with the people around me, I felt like I did what I could, that I did what was done had to become. I tried to behave very professionally and support everyone. I left one of my teammates alone on this track.”
If Ullmark is looking for more guaranteed reps as the No. 1 option in net (which he would be for almost any other team), a change of scenery could be the best path forward for all parties.
Making a deal with Ullmark could not only give Boston vital draft capital (or even a player), but also get its $5 million cap hit off the books would also net the Bruins nearly $26 million in cap space this offseason.
Don Sweeney and the Bruins will welcome as much flexibility as possible this summer, especially with Boston in desperate need of a top-six center and more power on offense.
A path forward where Swayman earns the lion's share of reps and gets affordable representation like Brandon Bussi makes perfect sense for Boston. However, the Bruins still have to navigate Ullmark's no-trade list, which will expand from 16 to 15 teams next season. per CapFriendly.
And while Ullmark's move is a logical move for a team looking to build on this year's playoff push, his longtime partner in net admitted Ullmark's presence has been invaluable over the past three years.
“Just limitless positivity, and we thrive on living with one another and knowing that it's hard once you don't play games,” Swayman admitted. “And I was in his position, where you really are the ultimate teammate, and his behavior was to understand every day in competition that if I didn't give my best, you could be just as fast in the net.
“So my job was to maintain competitiveness, stay ahead and not have any off days. Because if I did, he could conquer the net just as quickly. Because we knew he was such a good goalkeeper and such a good person, it was a privilege and an incredible thing for us because only we will make each other and of course indirectly our team better.”
image credit : www.boston.com