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Morning Notes: Ullmark, Saros, Bemstrom

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Andrew Fantucchio of Boston Hockey Now writes that in his opinion the Boston Bruins have no reason to be in a hurry to trade goaltender Linus Ullmark as he has one year left on his deal and the Bruins could conceivably keep the netminder for the remainder of his deal. Ullmark has a lot of contractual control over where he is traded and could nix trades to nearly half of the league.

Goaltenders have been traded in recent years for a minimal return, including recent Vezina Trophy winners. However, as Fantucchio writes, the Ullmark situation is different than that of Marc-Andre Fleury who was dealt in July 2021 in what amounted to a salary cap dump. Fantucchio theorizes that if the Bruins are patient with the Ullmark trade it could drive up the asking price as teams might become desperate for goaltending as the market dries up.

In other morning notes:

  • It appears that Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros is prepared to let the goaltender market develop before signing his next deal. Jonathan Bailey of Nashville Hockey Now writes that Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet made his weekly appearance on 102.5 The Game on the Caroline, Willy, and D-Mase show to discuss the future of the Predators netminder. On the show, Friedman said that Saros is willing to see what kind of a contract New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin signs before he signs a new contract. Shesterkin figures to sign the richest goalie contract ever, and while Saros won’t reach the same kind of money, he can likely command a large percentage of that.
  • Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now writes that he doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Penguins will offer restricted free agent Emil Bemstrom a contract before the June 25th deadline to submit a qualifying offer. Bemstrom was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets and struggled to carve out a role in Pittsburgh despite the Penguins having a very poor bottom-six forward group. The 25-year-old is due a $945K qualifying offer and given the Penguins’ shortcomings it would be reckless to allocate that kind of cap space on a player that would be a 13th forward.

Bruins, Hurricanes Could Swap Linus Ullmark and Martin Necas

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The Boston Bruins are continuing to garner more and more interest for their former Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender Linus Ullmark, giving them a chance to be picky about the return. That could exclude much of the league from acquiring the star netminder, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman sharing on The Jeff Marek Show that he doesn’t believe teams like the Vancouver Canucks or Montreal Canadiens have the assets to acquire Ullmark. Friedman added that the Carolina Hurricanes could be one of the few teams rich enough for the deal, especially if they involve forward Martin Necas.

Necas has been a recent addition to trade rumors, with Friedman recently sharing that the Hurricanes “prefer” to trade the pending restricted-free-agent rather than re-sign him and that they were eyeing top prospects in return. Necas, the 12th-overall pick in 2017, posted a career-high 28 goals and 71 points in 82 games last season. He succeeded it with a much more modest 53 points this year, though he still managed 24 goals. Necas has totaled 243 points across 362 career games, working his way into a regular role in Carolina’s top-six after growing pains early in his career. At just 25, Necas represents one of the best young scorers on the open market and should be poised for a long-term deal with a yearly price tag of around $7.5MM.

Adding young, secondary scoring is a big priority for the Bruins entering this off-season, giving relief to the more surprising pieces of their top-six, like Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie. On top of his offense, Necas could also support the team’s center depth, after recording a career-high 417 faceoffs last sesaon. He won 45.1 percent of those draws, bringing his career total to 41.5 percent at the faceoff dot. That’s certainly not strong enough to warrant an everyday role at center, but it could be a welcome boost for a Bruins lineup that still hasn’t reloaded their depth chart after Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired. Ullmark could be a small price to check off two big boxes for Boston.

But shaping a trade package around Necas and Ullmark will be tricky. There isn’t much precedent for swapping top-end goalies and forwards, though each of Frederik Andersen, Robin Lehner, Cory Schneider, and Semyon Varlamov were traded for first-round picks at some point in their careers. Two of those trades didn’t involve any other pieces, while the other two added a second-round pick onto the pile. That’s a bleak valuation of top goalies on the trade market, made more challenging by Necas’ RFA status making him a much more controllable asset than the 2025-UFA Ullmark. Those factors could put Carolina in a good position to ask for even more Ullmark in a swap, especially as interest in Necas grows across the league.

The Hurricanes would confidently round out their lineup with Ullmark’s addition, while moving out a winger set to command a good deal of cap space. That’d be a fantastic win-win for interim general manager Eric Tulsky, who’s in his first tenure as an NHL GM after Don Waddell left Carolina for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Carolina is also facing contract negotiations with Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei this summer – surely pushing them to want an answer on Necas sooner rather than later.

Photos courtesy of USA TODAY Sports.

Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark Are Devils’ Top Goalie Targets

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The Devils’ pursuit of a bonafide starting goaltender has been a dominant storyline for months and remains one of the few certainties of the summer. While there are more than a handful of qualified names on the trade block, the Flames’ Jacob Markström and the Bruins’ Linus Ullmark are the two likeliest names that New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald would swing a deal for, sources told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Tuesday.

Fitzgerald also confirmed to reporters yesterday that he would make the Devils’ 2024 first-round pick, 10th overall, available in trade talks. In what’s viewed as a deep class of high-end talent, that pick could very well be enough to pry Markström or Ullmark away from their respective teams, although a low-to-medium-value asset may also be required.

The other big fish on the goalie trade market, 2022 Vezina Trophy nominee Juuse Saros, doesn’t appear likely. He’s only been connected to the Devils sparingly in recent weeks and wasn’t mentioned at all as an option for New Jersey in LeBrun’s reporting yesterday.

Markström and Ullmark are the elder statesmen of the group, but as such, could cost less to acquire than the sub-30 Saros. Ullmark finds himself in the conversation after throwing up a .924 SV% average over three seasons with the Bruins, but he’s only started more than half his team’s games in a season once. That was Boston’s record-setting 2022-23 campaign when he won the Vezina Trophy after recording a 40-6-1 record, .938 SV% and 1.89 GAA.

Markström’s numbers have been more inconsistent over the past few seasons, but he has a much longer track record of being a true starter. The 34-year-old Swede has started more than half his team’s games in each of the last seven years and is two years removed from a league-leading nine shutouts that helped him earn his only career Vezina nomination in 2022.

He’s coming off a verifiably above-average season, too, posting a .905 SV% and stopping 13.7 goals above expected (MoneyPuck) despite a .500 record. The other advantage is his contract – he’s got two seasons left at a $6MM cap hit compared to Ullmark, who’s only signed through next season.

Markström isn’t the higher-ceiling option, but he may be the safer one. He carries a full no-move clause, but multiple reports indicated he waived it for a move to New Jersey before this season’s trade deadline that ultimately fell through. LeBrun confirmed that notion yesterday.

Bruins Expected To Open Talks With Danton Heinen

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  • The Boston Bruins are expected to begin talks with Danton Heinen about contract extension soon, shares The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta (Twitter link). Heinen rejoined the Bruins for this season after a three-year tenure split between the Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored 17 goals and 36 points in 74 appearances in the reunion, offering flexible offense from the bottom of the depth charts. He’ll be set for his eighth NHL season, and his sixth with the Bruins, with a new deal this summer.

Derek Forbort Likely Headed For Free Agency

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On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman confirmed earlier reports about the Ottawa Senators coaching staff. Friedman said that former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson is expected to remain as an assistant coach behind Ottawa’s bench, as will Ben Sexton. Friedman also went on to say that former head coach Mike Yeo and former NHLer Nolan Baumgartner are also expected to join the Senators staff.

Friedman’s confirmation follows several previous reports about the Senators and likely signals that Ottawa is close to finalizing new head coach Travis Green’s coaching staff. The group will have their work cut out for them as the Senators have struggled to play with much structure in recent seasons despite boasting some very talented young players. Ottawa hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 and has been mired in a rebuild for the better part of the past decade.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period is reporting that the Montreal Canadiens could be buyers once again at this year’s NHL entry draft. Montreal has been a buyer at the two previous drafts and has reportedly made the draft a priority over making trades. Montreal is currently holding the fifth-overall pick as well as the 26th overall pick and Pagnotta wonders if the Canadiens may look to move the later pick as part of a package to acquire a young proven scorer. The Canadiens have several good young scorers in their lineup but would do well to add another scoring forward to their ranks to better balance their offensive attack.
  • Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort is reportedly headed to the free agent market on July 1st (as per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period). The former 15th overall pick spent a great deal of the season on long-term injured reserve and was limited to just 35 games. The 32-year-old has never offered much offense from the backend, topping out at 18 points with the Los Angeles Kings in 2017 and 2018, but he is a big body and can still skate. Forbort will have suitors in free agency, particularly from teams that are looking for a depth defenseman who isn’t afraid to engage the opponent physically.

Latest On Linus Ullmark

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Matt Larkin of Daily Faceoff writes about four potential trade destinations for Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark. Larkin believes that the Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators would be the frontrunners for the services of the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner should he be moved. Ullmark reportedly blocked a move at the trade deadline in March and has a 15-team no-trade list that could impede a potential trade this summer. Larkin’s list is largely based on speculation, but on the surface, it makes sense, given that the four teams on it were all undone by inconsistent goaltending this season.

In Colorado, Alexandar Georgiev didn’t have a very good regular season for the Avalanche and fell apart in the playoffs with an .894 save percentage. The story was similar in Los Angeles where Cam Talbot and David Rittich both had good regular seasons but couldn’t give the team enough to get out of the first round. The Kings pursued Ullmark prior to the deadline but were unable to complete a deal due to the netminders no trade list.

Ottawa and New Jersey aren’t surprising possibilities for Ullmark as they were two teams that came into the season with playoff expectations but were let down by some of the worst goaltending in the NHL. Ottawa signed netminder Joonas Korpisalo to a five-year $20MM contract last July in the hopes that he would steady their goaltending situation, however, the first year of the deal was a flop and Korpisalo finished second to last in the league in goals saved above expected with a -16.1 (according to Money Puck). Mads Sogaard and Anton Forsberg also appeared for the Senators this season and struggled as well.

New Jersey didn’t fare much better as Vitek Vanecek lost his game and finished near the bottom of the league in goals saved above expected with -11.2. Akira Schmid also saw his play fall off and found himself in the AHL for a big chunk of the season. The team brought in Jake Allen at the trade deadline from Montreal, but with one year left on his contract, the 33-year-old is more of a stopgap for the Devils and would be a terrific backup should they acquire Ullmark.

With his limited no-trade clause, Ullmark will have some say in where he ends up this summer, but won’t have full control. He is just a year out from becoming an unrestricted free agent once again and can choose his preferred destination in the summer of 2025.

Bruins Looking To Add A Top Center In Free Agency

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The Boston Bruins will be revisiting their need for a new top centerman this off-season, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman sharing on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast that they could target either Elias Lindholm or Chandler Stephenson should either enter the open market. Friedman mentioned that Boston was interested in manufacturing a trade for Lindholm prior to his move to Vancouver this January. The Canucks traded away a top winger in Andrei Kuzmenko, as well as top prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, as a part of the deal to acquire Lindholm – likely indicating that Boston was also ready to pay a premium for his services.

They could get another chance to entice Lindholm’s camp this summer, with Vancouver’s leadership not mentioning Lindholm’s negotiations in their exit interviews. The Canucks are entering the off-season with 11 pending free agents and $23MM in cap space, with hefty contracts likely due to Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Filip Hronek. Each could rival a cap hit above $5MM, making it tricky to retain all three while still rounding out their depth.

Lindholm recorded 44  points in 75 games this season, his lowest scoring since he was with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017-18. His move to Vancouver was a catalyst for that decreased scoring, with Lindholm dipping from 0.653 points per game with the Flames to 0.462 points per game with the Canucks. He was able to revitalize his offense in the postseason, recording five goals and 10 points in 13 games, but Lindholm’s performance this season still situates him a long ways away from the $8MM price tag he was reportedly asking for last summer.

That’s good news for the Bruins, who weren’t shy about pursuing Lindholm last summer either. It’s clear to see why they’d be eager to bring in Lindholm’s explosive offensive style – with his strength in driving through the neutral zone a great compliment to David Pastrnak’s elite skill on the wing.

But while Lindholm offers offensive upside – and likely a corresponding costly price tag – Chandler Stephenson would be much more of Boston’s ‘MO’. Stephenson is a very fundamentally-talented centerman, who’s showed an impressive ability to use his high hockey IQ to make plays in all three zones. He’s lauded one of the most effective two-way centermen in the league, with his stout defense giving his wingers – like Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault – more opportunity to spearhead the offense. Stephenson’s talents would be a serviceable replacement for the years of elite two-way play of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, even if his performance isn’t on the Selke Trophy-demanding level of his predecessors. Stephenson is coming off a four-year, $11MM contract that’s turned into one of the most team-friendly deals in the league – with Vegas’ second-line centerman effectively costing $2.75MM in cap space over the last four seasons. With such a modest salary, any offer paying Stephenson his market value would mark a substantial pay raise. That could work in Vegas’ favor when negotiations roll around, though the Golden Knights are still facing seven pending free agents, including Stephenson and Marchessault, with less than $1MM in cap space.

The Bruins will be quick to act, and likely quick to spend, should either Lindholm or Stephenson get priced out of staying with their current teams. Boston has 12 pending free agents of their own, including Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk, though they have roughly $21MM available to re-sign them. The team could also free up cap space by trading former Vezina Trophy-winner Linus Ullmark, who carries a $6MM cap hit. Pavel Zacha stepped into the spotlight and performed well this season, posting a career-high 59 points and forming a duo with Pastrnak that even carried over into the 2024 World Championship. But it was clear that Boston was missing an X-factor as they looked to keep their energy up in the second round. Addressing that missing piece will seemingly be their top priority this summer, with two of the market’s top names already in Boston’s sight.

Bruins, Hurricanes Discussed Linus Ullmark Trade Before Deadline

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The Bruins were shopping 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark at the trade deadline, as evidenced by reports he blocked a deal to the Kings with his 16-team no-trade clause. The Hurricanes were another one of the teams in talks to pick up the netminder, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Friday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.

It’s fair to wonder if Boston and Carolina may re-engage on the framework of talks this summer with Ullmark still on the trade block. He has one season left on his contract with an affordable $5MM cap hit, and his no-trade list drops from 16 to 15 teams on July 1.

The Hurricanes got elite goaltending from Frederik Andersen in the regular season with a .932 SV%, but he was limited to 16 games due to blood clotting issues. He proceeded to struggle in postseason play, putting up an. 895 SV% as the Canes were eliminated by the Rangers in the second round thanks to a third-period collapse in Game 6.

Carolina has 24-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov waiting in the wings, too, after posting a .911 SV% in a career-high 40 starts, but advanced numbers suggest he wasn’t particularly far above average considering the shot quality he faced behind one of the best defenses in the league. He was good for 0.7 goals saved above expected on the year, per MoneyPuck – not a liability, but inferior to Ullmark’s consistently above-average showings since joining the Bruins in 2021-22.

In terms of a trade return, there’s a clear fit heading back from Boston to Carolina in pending restricted free agent forward Martin Nečas. Friedman didn’t disclose if he was part of trade discussions a few months back, but he certainly would be now if the teams resumed talks. He reported last week that Nečas’ ask on a contract extension is likely too far above what the Canes are willing to pay, and they’ll likely shop his signing rights this summer as a result.

While the Bruins’ offense performed better than expected after losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí to retirement, they were limited to 2.38 goals per game in 13 playoff showings. There’s a clear opportunity to upgrade their top six with some increased spending money this summer, boasting $20.9MM in cap space to fill six roster spots, per CapFriendly. A large portion of that will go to a new deal for RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman, but trading Ullmark would open up an additional $5MM to use to help shoulder a Nečas extension. Evolving Hockey projects a seven-year, $7.5MM AAV deal for Nečas this summer outside of Carolina.

Bruins Intend To Extend Brad Marchand This Summer

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Speaking with reporters yesterday including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald at their season-ending media availability, Bruins GM Don Sweeney indicated that one of his goals this summer is to make captain Brad Marchand “a Bruin for life”.  The 36-year-old will be entering the final year of his contract next season, making him eligible for an extension as of July 1st.  Marchand had his second straight 67-point effort in 2023-24 and has notched at least 60 points in nine straight years.  His current deal carries a $6.125MM AAV and his performance since then should be enough to land a higher number although it’s possible that he opts for more of a team-friendly agreement.  Don’t expect this to be one of their top priorities, however, with Sweeney indicating that the front-burner issues (pertaining to next season’s roster) need to get taken care of first.

Bruins Announce Offseason Plans

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Speaking to the media this morning, the General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, announced his plans and goals for the upcoming offseason. With the press conference later summarized by TheFourthPeriod, Sweeney illustrates that his main goal is to build up the team’s secondary scoring.

To quote Sweeney, the veteran General Manager stated, “There are some things that we need to address from the standpoint of free agency and/or internal growth. I have to be able to find some players that can come in and provide secondary scoring. We’re going to be aggressive to be able to complement what we currently have in some areas… I’ve got to find the players that complement our group and push us forward”.

Heading into the summer, the Bruins will have approximately $22MM to work with, but a decent chunk of that will go to goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1st. After an impressive three-year run in Boston, Swayman will likely be asking for a contract similar to that of Connor Hellebuyck, who signed a seven-year, $59.5MM contract to remain with the Winnipeg Jets organization last summer.

If the Bruins are ready to hand out that kind of money to Swayman, they will certainly have to move on from Linus Ullmark, who will have one-year, $5MM remaining on his contract for the 2024-25 NHL season. As good as the duo has performed for Boston over the last two years, it is hard to conceptualize a competitive team spending close to $14MM on goaltending even if it is only for one year.

Assuming the Bruins can move out the contract of Ullmark without taking any money back in return, and factoring in the hypothetical extension for Swayman, the team should have around $18MM in cap flexibility to peruse the trade block and free agent market. Since Sweeney is putting a premium on secondary scoring this summer, they should be able to realize that goal if that is ultimately the cap space they are working with.

As far as internal options go, the Bruins already have a quick solution in Jake DeBrusk, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in a few short weeks. Depending on the price, Boston should be able to retain DeBrusk on a short- to mid-term contract, as he will be one of the better secondary scoring options on the market regardless. Throughout his seven years in Massachusetts, DeBrusk has been able to regularly produce between 20-30 goals a year, normally finishing top five on the team each year in that particular department.

Luckily for the Bruins, the free agent market will be flooded with secondary scoring options this summer, as they will have the opportunity to sign the likes of Patrick Kane, Tyler Toffoli, Chandler Stephenson, Anthony Mantha, Anthony Duclair, as well as others. There is not one individual player in that group that should take too much of a chunk out of Boston’s available cap space; assuming the team is not going after the likes of Jake Guentzel, Sam Reinhart, or Steven Stamkos.

After the conclusion of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, this summer’s trade market should start materializing into more of a clearer picture than where it’s at right now. However, it is already expected that Martin Necas of the Carolina Hurricanes will be moved this summer, as the Hurricanes do not appear willing to meet his contractual demands. If Carolina is intent on moving him, Necas would be a nice piece to add to the Bruins’ top six.

No matter the direction they ultimately take, Boston will have an abundant pool to pick from this summer to add to their secondary scoring. Additionally, the emergence of a few prospects this past season may allow the Bruins to deal from their list of already established players, which would give them even more cap flexibility heading into the offseason.

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