The Boston Bruins have seen their last two seasons end painfully at the hands of the Florida Panthers. The fact that they were defeated by the 2024 Stanley Cup champions is clearly cold comfort to the team and Bruins fans. General manager Don Sweeney does not have the luxury of looking back on the last two seasons and saying “if only …” to himself. Instead, he must look forward, and that's just what he did in trading stellar goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators.
Much of the Bruins success the last two years has been the result of superb goaltending from the duo of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Ullmark was so good that he earned the Vezina Trophy for his work during the 2022-23 season.
However, Swayman, 25, is just approaching the prime of his career and the Bruins believe he can handle the role of No. 1 goalie. Ullmark, 30, still has a number of good years left, but the Bruins believe that money spent on a top-notch goalie could be better spent on high-scoring forwards or rugged defensemen.
Here is a look at the official trade:
Senators get: Goalie Linus Ullmark
Bruins get: Goalie Joonas Korpisalo (Senators retain 25 percent of salary), center Mark Kastelic, first-round pick (No. 25) in 2024.
Senators get a top-notch goalie from the Bruins
Ullmark played the first six years of his career with the Buffalo Sabres, and when the Bruins acquired him prior to the 2021-22 season, it seemed like something of a gamble. He had flashed his talent with the troubled Sabres, but he rarely displayed consistency.
His best season with the Sabres came in 2019-20 when he went 17-14-3 with a 2.69 goals against average and a .915 save percentage.
Even though he played in just 20 games the following year, the Bruins saw enough to believe in him. He went 26-10-2 in 2021-22 with a 2.45 GAA and a .917 save percentage. However, he was simply brilliant in Boston's record-setting 2022-23 season. He was 40-6-1 during the regular season with a 1.89 GAA and a .938 save percentage. Both of those figures and his win total led the league. He also scored a goal during a regular-season victory over the Canucks in Vancouver
As good as Ullmark was during the regular season, he stumbled during the playoffs. The Bruins lost their opening round series to the Panthers, and an overtime loss in Game 5 came after Ullmark fumbled the puck and Matthew Tkachuk took advantage of the error and put it in the net. That goal triggered a Florida comeback and ultimately ruined Boston's playoff hopes.
Bruins return is decent, but not substantial
Tbe Bruins get a third- or fourth-line center with size and toughness in Kastelic. However, they are not getting an offensive threat. He scored five goals and five assists last year for the Senators.
Korpisalo, 30, has played 9 seasons in the NHL, primarily with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also had a brief run with the Los Angeles Kings and one season with the Senators.
His career mark of 115-107-29 with a 3.06 GAA and a .901 average is not overly impressive, but he spent the bulk of his career with teams that struggled to play consistently.
If the Bruins keep him, he will get a chance to work with goaltender coach Bob Essensa, considered one of the best at his position in the NHL. “Goalie Bob” has had great success with Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, Swayman and Ullmark, so there's no reason to think he can't bring out the best in Korpisalo.
The best part of the return for Ullmark is the first-round draft pick. Top-round draft picks have been in short supply for Boston in recent years, as they have regularly moved those picks when they have been nearing the trade deadline.
The 25th pick was actually used when they acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from the Detroit Red Wings in 2023, and that pick was sent to Ottawa. Now it returns to the Bruins, and Sweeney should be in a position to find a talented player who may be able to contribute in 2-to-3 years.
Trade Grades: Ottawa, A-minus; Boston, B-minus
The Senators have needed a substantial goalie for years, and now they have one in Ullmark. The trade would have deserved an “A” if Ullmark had more term on his contract, but he is scheduled to be a free agent at the end of next season. Ullmark comes with a cap hit of $5 million in 2024-25.
The Bruins are happy to get a first-round pick and they should be able to find some solid talent. However, teams that don't pick in the top 3 to 5 picks of the first round are not likely to see their draft pick contribute at the NHL level until they get at least 2 years of seasoning.
The Bruins will have to pay Korpisalo $4 million in 2023-24, and he will receive the same amount in each of the 3 seasons that follow. If the Bruins cut ties with Korpisalo, it will help their cap situation, and they may be considering a move to create more cap space.
If they cut or move Korpisalo, change their draft grade to B-plus.
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