Boston Bruins

Bruins Trade Linus Ullmark To Senators

Published

5 months ago

June 24, 2024

Andrew Fantucchio

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Linus Ullmark’s run with the Boston Bruins has come to an end.

First reported by Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, the Bruins traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators on Monday night. In exchange, the Bruins received goalie Joonas Korpisalo, center Mark Kastelic, and the 25th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

The #NHLBruins have acquired forward Mark Kastelic, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, and a 2024 first-round draft pick (25th overall) from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goaltender Linus Ullmark.

📰: https://t.co/2y8ZU1p4CZ pic.twitter.com/eEujq6sy9J

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) June 24, 2024

Korpisalo, 30, signed a five-year contract worth a total of $20 million as a free agent with the Senators last summer but disappointed during his one and only year in Ottawa. In 55 appearances, he compiled a record of 21-26-4 with a .890 save percentage and a 3.27 goals-against average. As part of the trade for Ullmark, the Senators will be retaining 25% of Korpisalo’s salary over the next four seasons, saving the Bruins $1 million in cap space per season.

Kastelic, 25, played in 63 games for the Senators last season, totaling 10 points with five goals while averaging 7:43 of time on ice per game. Selected by Ottawa in the fifth round of the 2019 draft, the Arizona native made his NHL debut two years ago and has since scored 25 points with 11 goals in 144 career games. Kastelic is entering the final year of his current contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of next season.

The 25th overall pick is Boston’s original selection in this year’s draft and is the same one they traded to the Detroit Red Wings for Tyler Bertuzzi at the 2023 trade deadline. Prior to trading Ullmark, the Bruins did not have a pick within the first three rounds of this year’s draft. They now own a total of four picks, with selections in the first, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.

Ullmark first joined the Bruins as a free agent in the summer of 2021. An under-the-radar signing at the time, Ullmark blossomed in Boston as half of one of the league’s strongest goalie tandems alongside Jeremy Swayman. Ullmark put up the best numbers of his career during his three seasons in Boston, compiling a record of 88-26-10 with a .924 save percentage and a 2.28 GAA across 130 appearances. His tenure with the Bruins is highlighted by winning the Vezina Trophy following the 2022-23 season. That year, Ullmark won 40 of his 49 appearances and had a .938 save percentage and a 1.89 GAA while leading the Bruins to the best regular season record in the history of the NHL.

It had been well established for a number of months that the Bruins had Ullmark on the trading block as he entered the offseason with one year remaining on his contract. However, despite his track record over the last few seasons, moving Ullmark proved difficult for the Bruins with a 15-team no-trade clause attached to his deal.

The Bruins reportedly had multiple teams interested in acquiring the 30-year-old netminder early on, but those options began to dwindle as recently as last week.

In the end, it was the Senators, Boston’s division rival, who were the last team standing in the Ullmark sweepstakes.