Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark Hoping To Return
The Boston Bruins are bringing a close to their season with exit interviews on Sunday. And despite rumors and skepticism all season long, both halves of their star goalie tandem have expressed excitement for next season. Jeremy Swayman – the younger of the pair and Boston’s most recent starter – told reporters he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the Bruins, per Ty Anderson of the 985 Sports Hub Underground (Twitter link). Swayman added that he’s confident a deal will get done and that he doesn’t want to play anywhere else.
Meanwhile, de facto backup Linus Ullmark curbed trade rumors, emphasizing that he has one more year on his contract to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com (Twitter link). Ullmark told Benjamin, “I have one more year. I wouldn’t want anything else than to come back here, get a little bit of a revenge tour. I’m very excited, motivated for what’s to come.”
Ullmark was similarly stand-offish when asked about his 16-team no-trade-clause, shares Anderson, saying that the teams on his list are there for a reason (Twitter link). Ullmark reportedly blocked a Trade Deadline move to the Los Angeles Kings with his no-trade clause, though neither Ullmark nor general manager Don Sweeney have confirmed that. Nonetheless, the former Vezina Trophy winner is standing by his contractual rights, which could make any off-season move that much tougher to pull off.
But that doesn’t mean Boston isn’t still shopping Ullmark around. Moving him remains a top priority for the team prior to the 2024 NHL Draft, shares Fluto
Shinzawa of The Athletic. Shinzawa adds that Ullmark’s concerns with a mid-season move were more related to moving away from his family or relocating his children’s schooling than concerns with the destination. Those worries should be mitigated by the off-season, though they speak to the layers of human consideration that go into trade talks. Luckily, Ullmark should have no shortage of suitors on the open market – boasting a $5MM cap hit for one more season, an incredibly affordable price for a former Vezina winner.
Breaking up the 2023 William Jennings Trophy winners certainly seems like a smart idea for the Bruins. Swayman proved that he can stay consistent this season, posting 25 wins and a .916 save percentage through 44 games. But his ice time remained limited, with Boston still awarding Ullmark 40 games of his own. He vindicated the appearances with 22 wins and a .915 of his own. The two were nearly indistinguishable, with Boston even cycling them out in the postseason. And while two great goaltenders is a great problem to have, it’s also preventing Boston from tapping into their great depth chart. Namely, AHL starter Brandon Bussi has seemingly earned an NHL call-up. He posted 23 wins and a .913 in 41 AHL games this year, and is showing patented Bruins clutch in the playoffs, with a .922 through four games . The performances have brought Bussi up to 48 wins and a .918 save percentage in 78 AHL games since 2021 – ranked eighth in the league in wins and 16th in save percentage in that span. Moving Ullmark would have the tri-tiered benefits of allowing Swayman to take on a bigger role, creating opportunity for younger goalies, and returning to Boston what’s sure to be a substantial trade package.
Senators Notes: Pinto, Goaltending, Zub
The Senators and Shane Pinto were trying to work out a new contract before the center suited up for the United States at the Worlds, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. However, there seems to be a sizable gap in negotiations. Garrioch adds that both sides are interested in working out a longer-term agreement (five or six years) but there’s a big gap in the money. Pinto’s camp is reportedly seeking around $5MM per season on a deal like that while Ottawa is coming in considerably lower.
The 23-year-old missed the first half of the season after being suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy which resulted in him accepting a contract for the pro-rated league minimum of $775K upon his return. Pinto wound up being productive for the Sens down the stretch, notching nine goals and 18 assists while logging over 18 minutes a night, solid second-line numbers. Pinto isn’t yet arbitration-eligible so it’s possible that these talks could drag out as they did a year ago before the suspension came down.
More on Ottawa from Garrioch:
- The Senators shopped goaltender Joonas Korpisalo at the trade deadline but unsurprisingly, there wasn’t any interest. It was a rough first year in Ottawa for the 30-year-old who posted a 3.27 GAA and a .890 SV% in 55 games, hardly the return they were hoping for after giving him a five-year, $20MM contract back in July. Considering how the season went, a trade seems unlikely without them either retaining money or adding a sweetener so it might be easier for them to move the final year and $2.75MM of Anton Forsberg’s contract.
- Garrioch added that Ottawa kicked the tires on acquiring Linus Ullmark from the Bruins at the trade deadline. It’s widely believed that Boston will ultimately move Ullmark over the summer so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the teams rekindle discussions on that front in the coming weeks. Ullmark has one year left on his contract which carries a $5MM price tag and had a 2.57 GAA with a .915 SV% in 40 games this season after taking home the Vezina Trophy in 2022-23.
- Defenseman Artem Zub is believed to be a possible trade target this summer according to Garrioch. The 28-year-old has been a steady presence in their top four in recent years and is coming off a career-best 25 points in 69 games. Signed at a $4.6MM price tag through 2026-27, he’d make sense as a trade target for several teams if GM Steve Staios opts to shake up his back end without moving his top pieces.
2024 King Clancy Trophy Nominees Announced
Today, the NHL announced the 32 nominees for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, annually presented to “the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community.”
Each team submitted their nominee; they are as follows:
Anaheim Ducks: Cam Fowler
Arizona Coyotes: Nick Bjugstad
Boston Bruins: Linus Ullmark
Buffalo Sabres: Alex Tuch
Calgary Flames: Andrew Mangiapane
Carolina Hurricanes: Jaccob Slavin
Chicago Blackhawks: Connor Murphy
Colorado Avalanche: Cale Makar
Columbus Blue Jackets: Zach Werenski
Dallas Stars: Jake Oettinger
Detroit Red Wings: Dylan Larkin
Edmonton Oilers: Darnell Nurse
Florida Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
Los Angeles Kings: Kevin Fiala
Minnesota Wild: Marc-Andre Fleury
Montreal Canadiens: Nick Suzuki
Nashville Predators: Roman Josi
New Jersey Devils: Jack Hughes
New York Islanders: Anders Lee
New York Rangers: Jacob Trouba
Ottawa Senators: Brady Tkachuk
Philadelphia Flyers: Scott Laughton
Pittsburgh Penguins: Bryan Rust
San Jose Sharks: Luke Kunin
Seattle Kraken: Jaden Schwartz
St. Louis Blues: Brayden Schenn
Tampa Bay Lightning: Nick Paul
Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews
Vancouver Canucks: Quinn Hughes
Vegas Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
Washington Capitals: Tom Wilson
Winnipeg Jets: Josh Morrissey
Unlike most awards which are voted on by the players or media, the winner of this award is selected by a committee consisting of Commissioner Gary Bettman and former winners of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award, one that was awarded from 1997-98 through 2016-17.
Last year’s winner was Calgary’s Mikael Backlund. The winner for this season will be revealed in late June.
Latest On Linus Ullmark
After reports emerged yesterday that Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark nixed a trade to the Kings via his 16-team no-trade clause, GM Don Sweeney told reporters that he “wasn’t that aggressive” about moving his 2023 Vezina Trophy winner (via Matt Porter of the Boston Globe). Nonetheless, it doesn’t appear Los Angeles was the only team Sweeney spoke to about moving out half of the league’s best tandem. Multiple clubs not on Ullmark’s no-trade list engaged in discussions about the netminder and are likely to circle back over the summer, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on “Saturday Headlines.”
Ullmark, 30, will remain with the Bruins through the end of the season and the playoffs, but the likelihood of him finishing out his current deal in Boston seems to be diminishing as interest continues to rise. He carries a $5MM cap hit through next season and will be a UFA in the summer of 2025. His 16-team no-trade list will downgrade to a 15-team list on July 1.
The start counter between him and creasemate Jeremy Swayman remains relatively even, although his counterpart has a slight edge, 35-30. Ullmark’s numbers are far worse than last season’s league-leading performance, although still significantly above average with a .909 SV%, 2.77 GAA, and 9.4 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. It’s becoming clear that Swayman, among the league’s best with a .922 SV%, will be their starter to begin the postseason.
Boston needs to free up some money for what will likely be a long-term extension for Swayman over the summer. A pending RFA with arbitration rights, Sweeney would love to avoid an arbitration scenario with Swayman for a second straight year. He carries a $3.475MM cap hit this season but will command a significant raise after wrestling away the starting role from Ullmark.
The Bruins have $22.5MM in projected cap space next season with a roster size of 15, so their flexibility isn’t zero. If they want to go big-game hunting in free agency to address their deficiency at center and continuously thinning overall forward depth, though, freeing up Ullmark’s $5MM would be a wise move. They’d also capitalize on his trade value over the offseason rather than as a deadline rental next year, as teams would be willing to pay more for a full year of his services rather than a few months and a playoff run.
Linus Ullmark Blocked Deal To Kings With No-Trade Clause
The Bruins reportedly had a trade in place sending 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark out of town before the deadline, but the deal was blocked by Ullmark’s 16-team no-trade list, Kevin Weekes of ESPN said on “The Point” on Friday. According to Weekes, the team was on Ullmark’s no-trade list due to “geography.” Per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Kings were the team close to acquiring Ullmark.
No reports have indicated what other pieces were involved in trade talks. Ullmark’s no-trade list decreases to only 15 teams next season, so it’s unlikely the Kings will be able to circle back on him before he becomes a free agent in 2025. If he was unwilling to waive a no-trade clause, it’s unlikely he’d accept an offer from them in free agency, either.
Ullmark is locked into a $5MM cap hit through next year, a bargain bin value considering his play since joining the Bruins in 2021. This year has been his worst campaign in Beantown, however. He has a 16-7-7 record, .909 SV%, 2.77 GAA, and one shutout through 30 starts and two relief appearances, more pedestrian numbers for a netminder who’s been well above average the past three years. His 5.4 goals saved above average is much closer to the level of play he displayed during his last few seasons with the Sabres – still starting-goalie caliber for most squads, but no longer on the Bruins, who have a budding star in Jeremy Swayman (.922 SV%, 21-6-8 record in 36 games).
The Swedish goalie broke out to record a league-high 40 wins, .938 SV%, 1.89 GAA, and 48.5 goals saved above average en route to a Jennings and Vezina Trophy win last year behind a record-breaking Bruins squad. His individual success had much to do with their overall record, posting one of the best seasons by any goalie in the post-lockout era.
The Kings are looking for stability in the crease, although a ragtag tandem of veterans David Rittich and Cam Talbot has performed well enough to keep them solidly in playoff contention despite some wild swings this year. Neither is signed past this season, however, and their pipeline is thin outside of top AHL rookie Erik Portillo.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Bruins To Activate Brandon Carlo And Derek Forbort
2:03 PM: The team announced that they have officially activated Carlo and Forbort. To get into cap and roster compliance, center John Beecher and defenseman Mason Lohrei were assigned to AHL Providence.
Beecher has been up with Boston all season, picking up seven points in 39 games. The 2019 first-rounder has also won over 53% of his faceoffs while averaging a little over 10 minutes a game. Lohrei, meanwhile, has been up and down between the two levels. He has six points in 27 games with Boston plus six assists in 10 contests with Providence.
1:48 PM: The Bruins will welcome back a pair of injured blueliners to their lineup tonight against Montreal. The team announced that Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort are both set to return with the latter being activated off LTIR.
Carlo has missed close to two weeks with an upper-body injury sustained earlier this month. The 27-year-old has played in 39 games so far this season, picking up two goals and eight assists. Of course, Carlo isn’t known for his offensive output but rather for being a sound defensive defender; he’s logging 3:28 per game on the penalty kill – second-most on the Bruins – while blocking 71 shots.
The one player who is ahead of Carlo in shorthanded ATOI is Forbort who was averaging a few seconds more per night in that department before being injured back in early December. The 31-year-old played in 20 games before the injury, picking up four assists while logging a little over 18 minutes a night. He’s in the final year of his contract and if Boston wants to try to add an impact player before the deadline, his $3MM cap charge could be used as a potential offset.
Meanwhile, Boston also welcomes back two other injured players tonight who weren’t on injured reserve, goaltender Linus Ullmark and center Matthew Poitras.
Ullmark missed a little over a week after being injured in overtime against Arizona. He has once again formed a high-end platoon with Jeremy Swayman this season, posting a 2.75 GAA with a .915 SV% in 21 games. Poitras, meanwhile, has missed a little more than a week with a shoulder injury. The 19-year-old has fared nicely in his first NHL season, notching 15 points in 30 games so far.
The Bruins still have some work to do before Carlo and Forbort can officially be activated. They need to clear around $1MM off their books in order to satisfy the cap-compliance portion of taking Forbort off LTIR. They also need to send at least one player down as they only have one open roster spot at the moment with two players to activate. They have a few more hours to figure out what those moves will be.
Afternoon Notes: Ullmark, Sergachev, Fleury, Kochetkov
NHL.com reports that Boston Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark is set to return in a backup capacity when the Bruins take on the Colorado Avalanche this evening. Ullmark hasn’t played since a 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on January 9 as he has been dealing with a lower-body injury. Ullmark will backup starter Jeremy Swayman who has been excellent in his absence. Swayman had a 31-save shutout on Monday over the New Jersey Devils and continues to put up terrific numbers. Ullmark on the other hand had cooled off in early December but was able to finish off 2023 strong capping off a historic year for the 30-year-old. No word yet on when Ullmark is expected to start again, but given that he is backing up Swayman this evening one would think it should be soon.
Other notes from around the league:
- Both Haydn Fleury and Mikhail Sergachev are likely to miss a few more weeks, as Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper shares that neither are expected back before the break for February 3rd’s All-Star Weekend. Both players are on long-term injured reserve, as Fleury deals with a hand injury and would be eligible to return as soon as January 25th, though he hasn’t recovered fully just yet, while Sergachev nurses a lower-body injury that’s already held him out of 11 games.
- Carolina Hurricanes fan-favorite Pyotr Kochetkov is getting better from his concussion, returning to team practices for one-on-one work with the team’s goalie coach, shares team reporter Walt Ruff. But despite the return to the ice, Ruff shares that there is still no timetable for Kochetkov’s return to the lineup. Kochetkov last played in January 11th’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks, saving 10 of 13 shots before leaving the game early. Ducks goaltender John Gibson also left that game early with injury.
Evening Snapshots: Gilbert, Ullmark, Carlo, Rondbjerg
Earlier today, Ryan Pike of Flames Nation reported that the Calgary Flames have placed defenseman Dennis Gilbert on injured reserve. Since the original injury took place on January 4th, Gilbert has already met the required satisfactions to enter play, but since he is not ready to return, this transaction in particular will give Calgary some roster flexibility for the foreseeable future.
In a related report, Pike also points out that with Gilbert as well as Jacob Markstrom missing some time for the Flames, Walker Duehr‘s waiver placement earlier this afternoon, and Oliver Kylington working his way back on an LTI conditioning loan, there will be plenty of moving pieces for Calgary in the next few days.
With now only 21 players on the active roster once Duehr’s fate is settled tomorrow afternoon, Calgary could recall young forwards such as Matthew Coronato or Jakob Pelletier, or even go the route of reintroducing Kylington back into the organization. Whatever the case may be, they do have some time to address their current roster situation, as they should be able to field a healthy team tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs without any corresponding transactions.
Other snapshots:
- The Boston Bruins could be welcoming back two of their bigger pieces, as Conor Ryan of The Boston Globe reports both Linus Ullmark and Brandon Carlo are nearing a return to the team. This news does not come as a tremendous surprise, as the Bruins sent down goaltender Brandon Bussi, clearing the way for Ullmark’s return. Carlo, on the other hand, has missed the last four games for Boston with an upper-body injury but should be able to return this weekend against the Montreal Canadiens, or even sooner in the Bruin’s rematch against the Colorado Avalanche.
- After recalling him on January 11th, the Vegas Golden Knights announced today they have reassigned forward Jonas Rondbjerg back down to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. Playing in three games since his initial recall only a few days ago, Rondbjerg produced zero points while averaging a tad under 11 minutes of ice time a game.
Afternoon Notes: Bruins, Cates, Senators
The Boston Bruins saw a quartet of players return to practice, including rookie forward Matthew Poitras, defensemen Brandon Carlo and Derek Forbort, and starting goaltender Linus Ullmark. All four players were held out of the team’s Monday afternoon win over the New Jersey Devils. Of the four returnees, Poitras and Ullmark are the two who have avoided an injured reserve placement. Poitras is working his way back from a shoulder injury that’s held him out of the Bruins’ last three games, while Ullmark is coming back from a lower-body injury suffered in Boston’s overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes one week ago. Carlo is facing an upper-body injury, while Forbort is facing an undisclosed injury that’s troubled him since training camp and earned him a placement on long-term IR in early December.
The Bruins are also missing forward Milan Lucic with injury – but they’ve progressed nicely regardless, going 2-0-1 in the three games they’ve played since losing Ullmark last Tuesday. Roster holes have been plugged by Jesper Boqvist, who is seeing his first NHL action since December, and Brandon Bussi, who is currently backing up Jeremy Swayman and could make his NHL debut if Swayman needs a breather before Ullmark is ready to return. Boqvist has managed two points in seven NHL games this year, while Bussi has operated as the starter for the AHL’s Providence Bruins and managed a .901 save percentage in 20 AHL games.
The Bruins also saw the return of Pavel Zacha on Monday. The 26-year-old missed the team’s Saturday win with illness.
Other notes from around the league:
- Noah Cates is set to return to the Philadelphia Flyers lineup on Monday evening, as the Philadelphia Flyers take on the St. Louis Blues. Cates has been out since November 25th with a foot injury. He was off to a slow start to the season, managing just four points in 21 games – a step down from the 38 points he recorded in 82 games as a rookie last season.
- The Ottawa Senators have promoted Justin Peters to the role of goaltending coach and assigned Zac Bierk to a scouting and development position. Peters is an 83-game veteran of the NHL, setting a career .901 save percentage. He also played in 301 career AHL games and managed a career .907 save percentage. He has been a goalie coach with the AHL’s Belleville Senators since the 2021-22 season.
Bruins Place Brandon Carlo On IR, Recall Brandon Bussi
The Bruins placed defenseman Brandon Carlo on injured reserve retroactive to January 8, according to a team release. In a corresponding transaction, the team elevated netminder Brandon Bussi from AHL Providence on an emergency basis. Head coach Jim Montgomery said that 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and will not play tonight against the Golden Knights, so Bussi will back up Ullmark’s tandem partner, Jeremy Swayman.
Ullmark isn’t the only player who sustained an injury in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Coyotes. Rookie Matthew Poitras suffered a shoulder injury and will also miss tonight’s game. He, too, is listed as day-to-day.
Carlo left the team’s game on Monday against the Avalanche in the second period with an upper-body injury, although it wasn’t clear what caused the premature exit. As a result of the IR placement, the 27-year-old has been ruled out of the team’s next three games. He will be eligible to return next Thursday against the Avalanche.
In 39 games this season, the Bruins’ top shutdown defender has two goals, eight assists, ten points, and a team-high +15 rating while averaging over 20 minutes per game. AHL call-up Parker Wotherspoon, who has two assists and a +2 rating in 13 NHL appearances this season, is projected to remain in a second-pairing role alongside Hampus Lindholm in Carlo’s absence.
Luckily for the Bruins, it doesn’t appear anyone else’s absence is extremely long-term, either. It’s a tough loss to go without Ullmark for a stretch, who’s again been one of the better goalies in the league with a .915 SV% and 8.1 goals saved above average in 20 starts (21 appearances), but Swayman has put up slightly better numbers this season in the same amount of action.
In his place for now will be the 25-year-old Bussi. Named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team last season after he posted a .924 SV% in 32 appearances for Providence in his first season after completing his collegiate career at Western Michigan, he’s taken a significant step back this year with a .901 SV% and 10-6-3 record in 20 appearances. He’s been recalled on multiple occasions over the past two years due to short-term injuries to Swayman and Ullmark, and although he’s solidly third on Boston’s depth chart, he’s still yet to make his NHL debut.
Poitras, 19, was injured in his third game back after representing Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden. The 2022 second-round pick has five goals and 15 points while averaging 13:46 through his first 30 NHL contests.