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Newsstand

Anton Strålman To Retire

October 16, 2024 at 9:05 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

Longtime NHL defender Anton Strålman has retired, as noted by Robin Olausson of Hockey Sverige. Neither he nor the NHL Alumni Association have made an official announcement, but he’s now joined Swedish women’s soccer club Skultorps IF as a coach, Olausson said.

Strålman’s NHL career all but ended over a year ago. After managing to land a contract off a PTO with the Bruins in training camp in 2022, he failed to stick around at the NHL level, playing just eight games for Boston and spending a good chunk of the 2022-23 campaign in AHL Providence. A free agent last summer, he returned home to put a bookend on his career by suiting up for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League, where he had 16 points (2 G, 14 A), 10 PIMs, and a -12 rating in 48 games. He added an assist and a +3 rating in their relegation series against IK Oskarshamn to help them stay at the top level of the Swedish pyramid.

The 38-year-old was once one of the more underrated two-way defenders in the NHL. Drafted 216th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2005, Strålman broke into the NHL three years later. After a pair of seasons covering depth bottom-pairing duties for Toronto, he was traded to the Flames and then flipped again to the Blue Jackets in the 2009 offseason.

The move to Columbus is what truly jumpstarted his career. Strålman’s first season in Ohio saw him average over 20 minutes per game and break out for 34 points in 73 contests. He’d regress to a goal and 18 points in 51 games the following year, though, marking the end of his brief stint with the Jackets. He was non-tendered and became a UFA in 2011 at the age of 24, and he needed to wait until after the 2011-12 campaign started to catch on with his next NHL team – the Rangers.

In New York, Strålman’s game never popped offensively, but he did do well to establish himself as a reliable defensive presence who could shoulder second-pairing minutes. He averaged 18:22 per game in the Big Apple with solid possession metrics, posting a 54.3 CF% in front of expert goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist to lead to a cumulative +32 rating in 182 appearances for the Rangers, adding seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points.

That showing boosted his market value significantly heading into free agency in 2014, landing a five-year, $22.5MM deal with the Lightning that stands as the most lucrative contract of his career. His play popped accordingly in Tampa Bay, immediately making an impact with a career-high 30 assists and 39 points in 82 games before the Bolts marched their way to the Stanley Cup Final. Strålman maintained a high level of play in Tampa, averaging around 30 points per 82 games and logging nearly 22 minutes per game, with a cumulative +80 rating across his five-year deal.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t a part of their three straight Stanley Cup Final runs from 2020 to 2022. He priced himself out of Tampa upon reaching free agency again in 2019, instead inking a three-year, $16.5MM contract with the intrastate rival Panthers. That marked the beginning of the end of his NHL career, and by Year 2 of the contract, he’d fallen out of a top-four role. He had nine points in 38 games for Florida in 2020-21, leading them to surrender a second-round pick to dump the final year of his deal at a $5.5MM cap hit on the Coyotes.

Strålman did have a brief resurgence on a thin Arizona blue line, rebounding for 23 points in 74 games in 2021-22 while averaging 21:20 per game. It was his best offensive total in five years, and his highest usage in four, but his once-sparking possession metrics continued to dip below average. He needed the aforementioned PTO with Boston to keep his NHL career alive the following year before heading home in 2023.

All told, Strålman finishes his NHL career with 63 goals, 230 assists, 293 points, a +46 rating, and a 51.3 CF% in 938 appearances while averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. He made the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years with the Rangers and Lightning and totaled 26 points and a -4 rating in 113 playoff games. PHR wishes Strålman the best in the next phase of his career.

Arizona Coyotes| Boston Bruins| Columbus Blue Jackets| Florida Panthers| New York Rangers| Newsstand| Retirement| Tampa Bay Lightning| Toronto Maple Leafs Anton Stralman

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Matt Dumba Out Week-To-Week

October 15, 2024 at 11:16 am CDT | by Josh Cybulski 1 Comment

Oct. 15: Dumba has been downgraded to week-to-week, Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said Tuesday (via the team’s Brien Rea). DeBoer confirmed that he’ll miss an extended period but won’t require surgery for the injury. Alexander Petrovic was recalled from AHL Texas earlier in the day to fill his spot. However, Dumba hasn’t yet been moved to IR, with Dallas having ample roster space for an extra defender without a corresponding transaction.

Oct. 13: Dallas Stars defenseman Matt Dumba is being called day-to-day after suffering a lower-body injury in the first period of last night’s game against the New York Islanders (as per Lia Assimakopoulos of The Dallas Morning News). Dumba was hurt during his second shift of the game when he was tripped by Islanders forward Casey Cizikas, and he fell awkwardly onto his right leg, which was pinned underneath him when he fell.

Dumba left the game briefly but returned to action, played six more shifts, and finished the first period, logging 6:02 in total ice time. The 30-year-old did not come out with the team to start the second period and missed the rest of the game. Dumba was ruled doubtful about returning a short time later.

After the game, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer told the media that the Regina, Saskatchewan native will have scans taken on Monday and is considered day-to-day until they have more information regarding his ailment.

A former seventh overall pick, Dumba signed a two-year deal with Dallas on July 1st for a total of $7.5MM and has bounced around the NHL the past couple of seasons. He is no longer the impactful defender he was earlier in his career, but he remains a serviceable NHL defenseman, and his absence will create a hole on the Stars’ backend that is likely to be filled by Brendan Smith.

Dallas Stars| Injury| Newsstand Matt Dumba

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Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk Expected To Miss A Week

October 14, 2024 at 10:17 am CDT | by Gabriel Foley 4 Comments

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice shared that superstar Matthew Tkachuk is expected to miss about a week with an illness. Maurice said that the team is targeting Florida’s October 22nd matchup against the Minnesota Wild as Tkachuk’s return date. He already missed one game with the ailment, sitting out of Florida’s Saturday loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Tkachuk joins linemate Aleksander Barkov in Florida’s press box – though, with illness, hopefully not sitting too close – while Barkov nurses a week-to-week, lower-body injury of his own. Maurice shared on Sunday that Barkov is expected to miss two-to-three weeks, targeting a return before November.

Tkachuk has continued his starring role in Florida, recording 2’s across the board so far – with a stat line that reads two games played, two assists, two penalty minutes, and a +2. He was a pivotal in Florida’s run to their first Stanley Cup last season, netting 26 goals and 88 points in the regular season and 22 points in 24 postseason games. That wasn’t enough to earn Tkachuk any votes for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP last year, though he did receive one vote in 2023 – after netting 24 points in 20 games of Florida’s other run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Regardless of award voting, Tkachuk has proven the premier scorer on Florida’s lineup, stamped by a career-high 109 points in his first season with the team. His role will be daunting to replace, and likely force Florida to lean much more on secondary scorer Sam Reinhart. Rookie Mackie Samoskevich could also get a boost, though three scoreless games to start this season now have him up to 10 NHL games without his first career point. If not Samoskevich, then next up would be fellow rookie Patrick Giles.

Florida Panthers| Injury| NHL| Newsstand Matthew Tkachuk

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Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

October 11, 2024 at 1:51 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley 4 Comments

Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov has been reported as out week-to-week by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Barkov had to be helped off the ice after awkwardly colliding with the boards while racing Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle to a loose puck that’d become the clinching empty-net goal. Pagnotta adds that Barkov seems to have dodged the worst-case scenario and that his injury is considered a bad ankle sprain.

Barkov’s importance to the Panthers can’t be understated. He’s been the team’s unrivaled top center since at least 2017-18, averaging over 20 minutes of ice time and scoring above point-per-game pace in all seven seasons since then. He’s become well-decorated in that span, winning the Lady Byng trophy in 2019, the Selke Trophy in 2021 and 2024, and the Stanley Cup in 2024. Barkov has so far managed just one assist in two games this season – adding three blocks, one hit, and no giveaways.

Filling the role of their team captain will be a daunting task for the Panthers. Sam Bennett has served as the team’s de facto second-line center, though Florida could look towards flexible forwards like Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, or Evan Rodrigues to step into a middle-lane role. This could also be a golden opportunity for the 23-year-old Anton Lundell, who’s recorded fewer than 17 minutes of ice time in each of Florida’s games this season. Lundell is building out his own reputation as a strong two-way player, even receiving votes for the Selke Trophy in his rookie 2021-22 season. Lundell posted an impressive 54.9 faceoff percentage last season, second on the team to Barkov’s 57.3 percent win-rate. That could be helfpul assurance as the Panthers look to hang onto their grip of all three zones without one of the world’s best defensive-forwards.

Florida Panthers| Injury| Newsstand Aleksander Barkov

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Avalanche Claim Kaapo Kahkonen From Jets

October 11, 2024 at 1:28 pm CDT | by Gabriel Foley Leave a Comment

The Colorado Avalanche have claimed goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic. The Avalanche are already carrying two goaltenders – Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen – on their NHL roster. Neither are exempt from waivers, likely indicating Colorado’s plan to carry three goaltenders. Colorado used both netminders in their season opener, with Georgiev allowing five goals and getting pulled for Annunen, who let in two goals of his own.

That’s certainly far from an ideal start for the Avalanche netminders, leading the team to reel in the veteran presence of Kahkonen, who’s spent the last five seasons bouncing around the NHL. His career began with the Minnesota Wild, who drafted Kahkonen in 2014’s fourth round and assigned him to the AHL’s Iowa Wild in 2018. He was called up after two strong seasons as Iowa’s starter and proceeded to post a stout 31 wins and .907 save percentage in 54 games, and three seasons, as Minnesota’s backup. His consistency drew interest from around the league, and Kahkonen was dealt to the San Jose Sharks in 2022 alongside a fifth-round pick in the deal that landed Minnesota defender Jacob Middleton.

Kahkonen continued to serve as a consistent backup in San Jose, recording 17 wins and a .892 behind a struggling Sharks defense. But with little short-term success in sight, San Jose swapped Kahkonen with New Jersey’s Vitek Vanecek at the 2024 Trade Deadline. Kahkonen was one of two depth goaltenders acquired by the Devils, alongside Montreal’s Jake Allen, and would only play in six games with the club as a result – though he did manage a career-high .923 save percentage in those appearances.

Still, the Devils opted to stick with the Stanley Cup-winning precedent of Allen, letting Kahkonen sign a one-year, $1MM contract with the Jets on July 1st. He was one of three goalies to make the Jets roster out of camp, next to Connor Hellebuyck and Eric Comrie, and now moves to a similarly-crowded room in Colorado. He’s posted a modest .899 save percentage across 139 career games, and will look to provide relief in the event that Colorado’s netminders continue to dip.

Colorado Avalanche| NHL| Newsstand| Transactions| Waivers| Winnipeg Jets Kaapo Kahkonen

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Rangers, Alexis Lafrenière Discussing Long-Term Extension

October 11, 2024 at 10:18 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 5 Comments

The Rangers have a few high-profile pending free agents. While none of them eclipse the value of potential top UFA goalie Igor Shesterkin, 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafrenière has finally broken out as a core piece of their top-six forward group. He’ll be an RFA next summer without a new deal.

While a report at the beginning of the summer from USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano indicated Lafrenière was unlikely to kick off extension negotiations over the summer, that wasn’t the case. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said late last night that they’ve been discussing different contract options for a few months, including an eight-year deal in the $64MM range.

That offer undoubtedly indicates the massive step in the right direction Lafrenière took last season. The two-time CHL Player of the Year was finally given a lengthy runway in top-flight minutes alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck last year after Peter Laviolette took over behind the bench, responding with a career-high 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games. It still wasn’t quite the level of production most initially expected him to provide, but if his 14 points in 16 playoff games to end the year were a sign of things to come, he’s looking at another significant leap forward in 2024-25.

The Quebec native is still just 23 years old (his birthday is today), and he’ll play his 300th regular-season game when the Blueshirts host Utah tomorrow. While he’s only produced at a half-point-per-game clip throughout that time, he’s also had enough NHL opportunities to demonstrate a linear development path offensively over the past couple of years. With a consistently positive trajectory entering his prime, an $8MM AAV may be a gamble worth taking on a long-term deal for Rangers general manager Chris Drury to keep one of his top players cost-controlled through the rest of their championship contention window.

Lafrenière is in the back half of a two-year, $4.65MM bridge deal he signed after his entry-level contract expired in 2023. An $8MM AAV would be nearly a 350% raise on what he’s currently making.

The Rangers could likely shoulder it without too much fanfare. That would give them roughly $67MM wrapped up in 12 players for 2025-26. While that would leave only $25.5MM to fill 11 roster spots with a projected salary cap rise to $92.5MM, most expect them to try and move the final year of captain Jacob Trouba’s deal at an $8MM cap hit after failing to do so this offseason. Suppose they get a long-term deal done with Lafrenière in that range. In that case, it shouldn’t severely handicap their ability to retain Shesterkin and refresh their depth as they gear up to remain in championship contention through the rest of the decade.

New York Rangers| Newsstand Alexis Lafreniere

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Jets Place Kaapo Kähkönen On Waivers

October 10, 2024 at 1:12 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 12 Comments

The Jets have placed goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen on waivers, per PuckPedia. It appears he’s lost the backup battle to Eric Comrie and can be claimed by any team after signing a one-year, $1MM deal in Winnipeg over the offseason.

It’s likely not the result the Jets nor Kähkönen expected after coming to terms on the deal. Most assumed Comrie, who struggled to the tune of a .874 SV% in 10 games with the Sabres last year, would be the one to end up on waivers and sit at No. 3 on Winnipeg’s goaltending depth chart after inking a two-year, $825K AAV deal to kick off his fourth stint in the Jets organization.

The Jets were able to wait to make their decision, as starter Connor Hellebuyck’s brief absence due to personal reasons forced them to carry three goalies on their opening night roster. But Hellebuyck returned to pitch a shutout in last night’s season opener against the Oilers with Comrie on the bench, meaning Kähkönen watched from the press box.

It’s worth noting that taking Kähkönen off the roster instead of Comrie frees up an additional $175K in cap space. But it’s hard to imagine him passing through waivers. His $1MM cap hit is fully buriable in the minors if he doesn’t work out with a new club and lands back on the waiver wire, and he’s an intriguing pickup after he managed a .898 SV% in 37 games last year despite spending most of the campaign with the league-worst Sharks. The 28-year-old’s numbers weren’t too far below average, and he closed the campaign on a tear with a .923 SV% in six games for the Devils after New Jersey acquired him via trade.

Kähkönen was a Minnesota fourth-round pick back in 2014. He has a career .899 SV%, four shutouts, and a 49-67-15 record in 139 appearances with the Wild, Sharks, and Devils.

Newsstand| Transactions| Waivers| Winnipeg Jets Kaapo Kahkonen

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Boone Jenner Undergoes Shoulder Surgery, May Not Return This Season

October 10, 2024 at 11:41 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 3 Comments

Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell announced today that captain Boone Jenner is out indefinitely after undergoing shoulder surgery. “Our hope is he can return before the end of the season,” Waddell said, but there’s no guarantee he’ll suit up at all in 2024-25. Waddell later added Jenner would be out for at least five months, marking the beginning of March as his earliest opportunity to return, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Jenner sustained the injury in practice last week after losing an edge and crashing into the boards. After landing on IR before the season-opening rosters were due, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic indicated he could be out multiple months. Today’s news isn’t quite the worst-case scenario for Jenner, but it’s certainly not promising.

The shoulder surgery adds to a long list of injuries that’s prevented Jenner from playing more than 70 games in a season since the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 31-year-old has been an invaluable piece for Columbus, putting up the best offensive numbers of his career after assuming the captaincy in 2021, a broken jaw and recurring back problems have truncated his last three campaigns at 59, 68 and 58 games, respectively.

A Blue Jackets lifer, Jenner was a second-round pick of Columbus back in 2011. His career averages suggest the offensive output of a squarely middle-six center, posting 22 goals and 42 points per 82 games. But he’s averaged over 20 minutes per game in the last three years, and with increased usage has come increased production. The Ontario native has produced a 32-goal, 55-point clip per 82 games since the 2021-22 campaign. He’s done so on a bargain-bin four-year, $15MM extension he signed before his 2021 resurgence – some will remember his 30-goal, 49-point breakout campaign for the Jackets way back in 2015-16.

Jenner’s absence will deprive Columbus of their top forward for most of the season, diminishing the effectiveness of an already thin group. He was expected to shift to the wing from center this year, so Adam Fantilli and Sean Monahan won’t see much of an increase in responsibility from their already-anticipated top-six roles. But Jenner’s injury will lead to more ice time for late-summer UFA pickups Kevin Labanc and James van Riemsdyk, who now each project to play tonight’s season opener in second-line roles flanking Fantilli, per the team’s Jeff Svoboda.

In much more positive news, winger Dmitri Voronkov, who also started the season on IR, isn’t expected to miss nearly as much time as Jenner with his upper body injury, per Waddell. He doesn’t require surgery and could return by the end of next month, Svoboda relays.

Columbus Blue Jackets| Injury| Newsstand Boone Jenner| Dmitri Voronkov

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Kraken Extend Joey Daccord

October 9, 2024 at 9:57 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 10 Comments

The Kraken announced they’ve put pen to paper with goaltender Joey Daccord on a contract extension. It’s a five-year deal worth $25MM, adds Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, keeping him in Seattle through the 2029-30 season. The 28-year-old will earn an average of $5MM per year.

Daccord was slated to hit unrestricted free agency next summer for the first time, but this deal will keep him off the open market until shortly before his 34th birthday. That means he’ll spend most, if not all, of his prime in Seattle, where he broke out as a legitimate tandem option last season after spending the overwhelming majority of his first four professional seasons in the minors.

Daccord entered the 2023-24 season as the Kraken’s backup option behind Philipp Grubauer, set to be promoted to full-time NHL duties for the first time after guiding AHL Coachella Valley to the Calder Cup Final in its first season. It’s hard to imagine a better first year for Daccord, who not only established himself as a legitimate NHL option but pushed himself ahead of Grubauer on the depth chart.

His .916 SV% tied Boston’s Jeremy Swayman for seventh in the league among goalies with at least 20 appearances, and he added three shutouts and stopped 16.8 goals above average while making 46 starts and four relief appearances. He had a .926 SV% at even strength, second in the league among starters behind Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck. His strong showing didn’t result in any outside Vezina consideration, but he did earn a couple of third-team All-Star votes at the end of the year.

It’s been a lengthy road to NHL relevancy for Daccord, who was a seventh-round pick of the Senators all the way back in 2015 out of the Massachusetts prep school ranks. Two years later, he was in the NCAA, playing a key role in helping the formerly independent Arizona State to Division I relevancy. He was named to the West region’s Second All-American Team in his junior outing in 2018-19 when he backstopped the Sun Devils with a 21-13-1 record and .926 SV% in 35 appearances. That was enough for the Sens to sign him and bring him to the pros.

Daccord posted decent numbers in minor-league action for the Sens, but injuries and COVID limited his total playing time. After nine NHL appearances in Ottawa, logging a 1-4-1 record and a .894 SV%, he was left unprotected in the 2021 expansion draft and was claimed by Seattle. He was viewed as a high-ceiling option but cleared waivers at the beginning of 2022-23, even after posting a .925 SV% in his first year in the Kraken organization in 34 games with AHL Charlotte.

Now, Daccord’s AHL days are behind him after posting a .918 SV% in 98 appearances at the second-tier level. A $25MM deal is certainly a significant commitment from the Kraken to a netminder with fewer than 70 NHL games under his belt, but his robust workload last year gave them enough confidence to ink the contract.

Unfortunately, it also means Seattle will be carrying an expensive tandem of Daccord and Grubauer totaling $10.9MM against the cap for the next two seasons after this one. Grubauer, who’s struggled heavily with a .893 SV% and -39.0 GSAA in 131 appearances for the Kraken since their inaugural season, still has three years left on his deal at a $5.9MM cap hit. He has a 10-team no-trade list, but the cap-strapped Kraken might be able to unload him next summer with only two seasons left on his contract if they’re willing to attach a sweetener. That would allow them to land a more cost-effective option to partner with or back up Daccord.

The Kraken now have $79.15MM tied up in 15 players for next season, leaving them roughly $13.35MM in flexibility for eight players, assuming the cap rises as expected to $92.5MM. Notable pending UFAs include Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, William Borgen, and Josh Mahura, while notable RFAs include Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report that Daccord and the Kraken were nearing an extension. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the terms of the contract.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Newsstand| Seattle Kraken| Transactions Joey Daccord

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Senators Sign Linus Ullmark To Four-Year Extension

October 9, 2024 at 8:27 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 10 Comments

The Senators have signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $33MM extension, the team announced today. TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the news. It will carry a cap hit of $8.25MM and keep him in Canada’s capital through the 2028-29 season.

Per PuckPedia, Ullmark’s contract contains a full no-move clause. It’s also paid out entirely in base salary with no signing bonuses. He’ll earn $7MM in 2025-26 and $8MM in 2026-27 before earning $9MM annually in the final two years of the deal.

The deal closes a brief period of uncertainty for the Sens, who parted ways with the No. 25 pick in this year’s draft, Joonas Korpisalo, and Mark Kastelic to bring the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner in from the Bruins over the offseason without any assurances the pending free agent would sign an extension. Instead, the 31-year-old will avoid becoming a UFA for the second time in his career and play out the remainder of his prime years in Ottawa.

However, Ullmark isn’t doing his new team any favors with a discount on his market value. His $8.25MM cap hit is identical to the eight-year deal his former tandem partner Jeremy Swayman signed to remain in Boston long-term. He’s much older, though, and while he’s been a decidedly above-average netminder for five years in a row now, he likely couldn’t have commanded a more prosperous deal on the open market. That does offer some explanation for why he’s opted to sign this agreement so soon into extension talks, which were nonexistent as recently as two weeks ago, per reports.

But it’s also quickly coming into view that Swayman has already accomplished his self-stated goal of resetting the goalie market with his contract. Before he signed, it would have been hard to imagine Ullmark landing a contract just $250K shy annually of the recent long-term extension that Connor Hellebuyck, a more established bona fide No. 1, signed in Winnipeg not too long ago. Now, however, Ullmark easily becomes the fourth-highest-paid goalie in the league next season, although he’ll drop to fifth at some point. He was the second-best goalie atop the 2025 UFA class, outmatched by Rangers star Igor Shesterkin. But after reportedly rejecting an eight-year, $88MM offer to keep him in New York, the latter remains without a deal.

After spending his entire career until the 2021 offseason in the Sabres organization, Ullmark cashed in with a four-year, $20MM deal with the Bruins. The Swede had posted solid numbers in limited action in Buffalo but emerged as an outright star in Boston, delivering a rock-solid .917 SV% and 11.0 GSAA in 41 appearances in his first season as the Bruins dealt with the retirement of franchise netminder Tuukka Rask. He split the net evenly with the rookie Swayman that year, a sign of things to come.

Not many goalies can win the Vezina in a full season with fewer than 50 appearances to show for it, but if there will ever be an exception to the rule, it was Ullmark’s 2022-23 campaign. His play was astounding and one of the biggest factors fueling the Bruins’ record 65-win regular season, posting a 40-6-1 record in 49 appearances with a league-leading .938 SV%, 1.89 GAA, and eye-popping 48.5 GSAA. He took home the Vezina, shared the Jennings Trophy with Swayman (who was solid in his own right with a .920 SV%), and finished 10th in Hart Trophy voting.

Even in a regression season, Ullmark was still among the league’s premier goalies in 2023-24. He finished sixth in Vezina voting after logging a .915 SV%, a 2.57 GAA, and two shutouts with a 22-10-7 record. But his level of play was just slightly bested by Swayman, who started a slim majority of Boston’s games for the first time and took over completely in postseason play. With Swayman reaching restricted free agency this offseason and Ullmark set to hit the open market the following year, the writing was on the wall for Boston to part ways with the veteran and his bargain $5MM cap hit to make room for the younger netminder and to upgrade other areas of their roster, which had relied too heavily on elite goaltending in recent years.

For the Senators, acquiring Ullmark already addressed their biggest weakness. Extending him only gives them further runway with this core to finally return to playoff contention amid a seven-year drought. In nearly every sense, last year’s Ottawa team should have taken a step forward, controlling the majority of scoring chances, shot attempts, and high-danger chances at even strength. Horrid showings between the pipes from Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg doomed them, though, as their combined -30.9 GSAA tanked the Sens’ record back below the .500 mark and far away from a wild card spot.

With Ullmark instead of Korpisalo last season, there’s a very real argument that Ottawa would have ended its playoff drought already. The only question mark will be whether Ullmark can handle an increased workload with diminished support in the form of Forsberg as his backup. He’s never made more than 50 appearances in a season and has made more than 40 starts just once, during his Vezina-winning campaign.

Looking at the 2025-26 season, Ottawa now has $75.4MM wrapped up in 13 players after Ullmark’s extension, per PuckPedia. Assuming the cap jumps to a reported $92.5MM ceiling, the Sens have just over $17MM to fill 10 roster spots, including an extension for pending RFA Ridly Greig.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Newsstand| Ottawa Senators| Transactions Linus Ullmark

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