For nearly a year, the Boston Bruins grappled with the question of whether to trade Linus Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender. Despite attempts to trade him at the March deadline, either due to insufficient trade offers or Ullmark exercising his no-trade clause, a deal was not reached until Monday night. Boston’s GM Don Sweeney finally traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, a team long linked to him, though the return was not as substantial as the Bruins had hoped.
The trade saw the Bruins receive the Senators’ 2024 first-round pick, which is 25th overall and was originally Boston’s. This pick had been sent to Detroit in a previous trade deadline deal for Tyler Bertuzzi. Along with the pick, Boston acquired goalie Joonas Korpisalo and center Mark Kastelic. The Senators also agreed to retain 25% of Korpisalo’s contract, which has an average annual value (AAV) of $4 million.
Kastelic, a sizable player at 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, recorded five goals and ten points over 63 games last season. Korpisalo, on the other hand, had a challenging season with the Senators, posting a 21-26-4 record, a 3.27 goals-against average (GAA), and a .890 save percentage (SV%). While Ottawa’s overall performance was subpar, Korpisalo’s numbers are a concern for Bruins fans.
The return package is indeed underwhelming. The lack of an extension agreement between Ullmark and Ottawa at the time of the trade, combined with Ullmark being in the final year of his $5 million AAV contract, diminished his trade value. Boston would have preferred to include defenseman Jakob Chychrun in the deal, but the absence of an extension made that impossible.
Financially, the Bruins traded Ullmark’s $5 million AAV and received back $3 million (after retention), thereby freeing up $2 million in cap space ahead of free agency next month. However, this newly available cap space will partly go towards a new contract for Jeremy Swayman. Additionally, the Bruins face concerns about securing a top-six center and winger, along with addressing their own pending unrestricted free agents (UFAs).
The Bruins’ decision to trade Ullmark reflects a complex balance between cap management and roster needs, even if the immediate return might seem disappointing. The move opens up financial flexibility, but the effectiveness of this trade will ultimately depend on how the freed-up cap space and new assets are utilized in the upcoming free agency and beyond.