Despite making their Eastern Conference second-round series with the Florida Panthers close, Linus Ullmark and the Boston Bruins were unable to avoid back-to-back series losses to their Atlantic Division rivals. The Panthers beat the Bruins 2-1 in Game 6 at TD Garden, again eliminating the Stanley Cup hopefuls from the postseason, just as they did in Game 7 a year ago.
Although it was a disappointing ending to a reasonably impressive campaign in Beantown, Ullmark is already looking forward to getting some revenge in 2024-25.
“My future here? I got one more year,” the veteran goaltender told NHL.com's Amalie Benjamin on Sunday. “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.”
It's possible that the Bruins will run it back with Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman, who have formed the best tandem in the National Hockey League over the last two seasons. But with one year left on Ullmark's deal, it's also possible that the franchise could try to trade him rather than let him walk for nothing in free agency.
Swayman, who already needs a new contract as a restricted free agent, also made it clear he doesn't want to play anywhere but Boston and wants to sign a long-term deal with the team, per Benjamin. That could make things tricky, although it's likely Swayman and Ullmark will be the tandem for at least one more campaign.
Bruins exceeded expectations in 2023-24 despite disappointing ending
The Bruins exceeded expectations after a mass exodus last offseason that included the retirements of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Written off by many in the hockey world before the season, Boston not only advanced to the postseason, but won a round and took last year's Eastern Conference champions to six games.
“It was an honor to coach them because of the hard work and the competitiveness that they brought throughout the year,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said after the Game 6 loss. “That was the biggest thing I wanted to get across, and that you're never happy when you don't win your last game of the year. And some players had tremendous growth this year, and they can be proud of that and in the end, we have to find ways to get better and win our last game of the year.”
Despite a surprisingly strong campaign, this roster is still likely going to look a lot different next season. Jake DeBrusk, Pat Maroon and James van Riemsdyk will all be unrestricted free agents this summer — and that's just on the forward core. On the back end, three more depth defenseman will also have UFA status as of July 1. And after next season, captain Brad Marchand will also not have a contract.
It will be intriguing to see what moves general manager Don Sweeney makes to keep this team competitive, but it's hard to imagine the Bruins will be back near the top of the Atlantic Division yet again next year.
But that's exactly what everyone thought after last season, and as long as the core is intact — whether or not that includes Linus Ullmark — expect the Bruins to be competitive for a playoff spot in 2025.
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