After the Calgary Flames trade Jacob Markstrom to the New Jersey Devils, the sweepstakes for Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark has ramped up, with the Ottawa Senators feeling as if they are in the driver's seat as talks with the Bruins “have intensified,” according to Dave Litman of NHL Trade Rumors.

The Senators knew that there was not a fit for a trade with the Flames to acquire Jacob Markstrom, so president Steve Staios has been making a hard push to try to acquire Linus Ullmark, according to Litman.

While there has been a lot of talk about a potential trade between the Bruins and the Carolina Hurricanes, with Ullmark heading to the Hurricanes and forward Martin Necas heading the other way, it seems as if the Senators have the upper hand when it comes to landing the goaltender. A Bruins-Hurricanes swap would make sense, as Martin Necas would fill one of Boston's needs, but the Senators might have a better package.

It seems like an inevitability that the Bruins will trade Ullmark at some point this offseason, as Jeremy Swayman has cemented himself as the team's starting goalie. Boston needs to re-sign Jeremy Swayman to an extension. With Swayman being a restricted free agent, the Bruins should not have much trouble retaining him.

Senators looking to fix goaltending woes

The Senators were one of the more disappointing teams in the NHL this season. They have some young talent and were expected to be in the playoff conversation after showing some progress in the 2022-2023 season. Part of the struggles this season were due to the poor goaltending of Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg. Senior vice president Dave Poulin said the Senators are working hard to improve that area of the team.

“We've spent a lot of time on it and we're still working hard on it,” Dave Poulin said, according to Litman. “Our goaltending will be better next season.”

The Senator had Joonas Korpisalo play in 55 games in the 2023-2024 season. He got 21 wins with a 3.27 goals against average and an .890 save percentage, according to NHL.com. Anton Forsberg played in 30 games and di not post good numbers either, as he had 15 wins with a 3.21 goals against average with an .890 save percentage as well.

Needless to say, the Senators lacked in the goaltending department, and they are working very hard to improve that situation this season. It will be interesting to see if they can make this trade with the Bruins for Ullmark work. There are other teams in the league who could use goaltending help as well, as mentioned before with the Hurricanes.

The Senators hope that their young team can begin to emerge as a playoff contender next season, and getting them goaltending help in the form of Ullmark would help.