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Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark will make his debut with his new squad on Thursday night — and it'll be the first of many starts after the Swede was locked up by the Sens on Wednesday morning.
“Four years. $8.25 mil per for Ullmark and the Senators,” reported TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger.
It's a nice chunk of change for Ullmark, who gets the exact same AAV as Jeremy Swayman just earned with the Boston Bruins — just for half the amount of time.
Still, it's a nice raise for the 31-year-old, who signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the B's back in July of 2021. It's clear the Sens have made Ullmark their goalie of the future as they look to make a triumphant return to the postseason next April.
“We are excited to have Linus signed to a contract extension before the start of the regular season,” Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios said on Wednesday, per NHL.com's Sydney D'Amico.
“In a short window of time, Linus has been able to see the culture we’re trying to grow with our hockey club and his family has experienced the community spirit of Ottawa-Gatineau.”
Ullmark will make $4 million in the final season of his current contract in 2024-25 before his raise kicks in ahead of next year. He'll now have peace of mind knowing that he won't have to worry about contract negotiations during the campaign.
The 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner will appreciate some stability in Canada's capital after spending the last three seasons with the Bruins. Ullmark was traded from Massachusetts to Ontario in exchange for Mark Kastelic, Joonas Korpisalo, and a 2024 first-round pick on June 24.
Linus Ullmark is a key piece of Senators' playoff aspirations
The Senators struggled again in 2023-24, and a huge part of that was subpar goaltending. Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg combined for one of the worst save percentages in the National Hockey League, and that was a recipe for disaster for an Ottawa team that desperately needed more saves.
Ullmark now joins the squad after two phenomenal seasons in a timeshare with Swayman, and he's ready to take over the starting job in Canada's capital.
Entering his 10th full NHL season, Ullmark boasts a 138-73-23 career record along with a very solid .919 save percentage and 2.51 goals-against average. He was especially potent in Boston, allowing just 2.28 goals per game over three seasons. His Vezina-winning 2022-23 campaign saw him achieve career bests in SV% (.918) and GAA (1.89) — he also led the league with 48 wins.
The Senators are hoping the standout netminder can regain that form, but even if he plays to his career average, he'll be a huge upgrade on the goaltending Ottawa was getting last year. The Sens haven't been to the dance since 2017, and whether or not they can break the long drought will directly correlate with how Ullmark fares with his new team.
His first task will be a stiff one, as Ottawa welcomes the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to the Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.
