DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 13: Roope Hintz #24 of the Dallas Stars skates in warmups ahead of Game Four of the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on May 13, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI via Getty Images)
Four trade destinations to watch for Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark.
Some of the NHL’s best masked men are about to take center stage for a fascinating offseason.
For the first time in a while, supply and demand for goaltending are perfectly aligning league wide. We have several contenders or wannabe contenders actively and openly seeking significant upgrades in net, and we also have several big-name goalies potentially available via trade or free agency. My colleague Frank Seravalli dropped his updated offseason Trade Targets board earlier this week, and it featured five goaltenders: Linus Ullmark, Juuse Saros, Filip Gustavsson, Jacob Markstrom and Elvis Merzlikins.
Today, we focus on 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner Ullmark of the Boston Bruins. For most of this season, he formed the top tandem in the league with his great friend and post-game hug partner Jeremy Swayman. But in the playoffs, with Swayman simply playing out of his mind, coach Jim Montgomery went away from the even timeshare and only used Ullmark for one start and two appearances across two playoff rounds. Ullmark was relegated to being the best backup in the NHL.
That doesn’t make sense going forward for either side. Ullmark reportedly used his no-trade clause to veto at least one move leading up to the 2024 deadline in March, but that was before Montgomery nailed him to the bench. Now, Ullmark is entering the final year of his contract and eligible to sign an extension July 1. He has earned a significant raise on his current $5 million AAV; across the past three seasons
combined, among 91 goaltenders to play at least 1,000 minutes at 5-on-5, Ullmark ranks first in goals saved above average per 60 minutes. He grades out as the best netminder over that span. Yet the Bruins have Swayman, five years Ullmark’s junior and a restricted free agent, taking the starter’s reins, not to mention Brandon Bussi functioning as one of the better goalies in the AHL and looking ready for a shot
as an NHL backup. The Bruins have a depleted farm system and, as we saw this postseason, lack high-end talent behind David Pastrnak. Even captain Brad Marchand is 36 and exiting his peak years. Given how many needs this team has to fill, it would be illogical to keep Ullmark’s $5 million cap hit and to extend him at an even higher number.
