The Ottawa Senators are coming off a challenging 2023-24 season that saw them finish second-to-last in the Atlantic Division. However, the Senators have completed a blockbuster trade with the Boston Bruins for a notable upgrade. Ottawa acquired goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Bruins in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo, a draft pick, and Mark Kastelic, per Frank Seravalli.
Ottawa landed the 25th overall pick and will retain 25 percent of Korpisalo's salary. The trade provides a stout defensive boost to the Senators, while the Bruins get helpful assets.
After making his first All-Star team in 2022-23, Linus Ullmark had a solid year of production with the Bruins in 2023-24. Through 40 games, the 30-year-old goaltender held a 22-10-7 record and amassed two shutouts. In addition, he held a 2.58 goals against average and a .915 save percentage, both of which were top-10 NHL rankings.
Ullmark helped the Bruins go 47-20-25 and accumulate 109 points on the season. As a result, Boston finished the season with a second-place Atlantic Division standing and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ullmark and the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games during the first round. However, they suffered a tough 4-2 series loss to the Florida Panthers.
Ullmark ended his 2024 playoff stint with a 3.90 GAA and .886 SV%. He looks to be a major factor for the Senators in 2024-25.
Ottawa finished the 2023-24 season with a subpar 37-41-4 record and were near the bottom of their division. The Senators lost a strong contributor in Joonas Korpisalo and a depth piece in Mark Kastelic, but their efforts helped the team move forward.
Senators achieve their first offseason goal in trade with Bruins
In early June, ClutchPoints' Lead NHL Editor Collin Gallant outlined three offseason goals for the Bruins. Most notably, the club to needed to improve their goalkeeping, which Gallant predicted would likely require parting ways with Joonas Korpisalo. Boston took heed to the prediction and did just that.
Ottawa had the worst combined save percentage of any team in the league in 2023-24. It will take more than one player to fix their problems, but acquiring Linus Ullmark is a step in the right direction. Despite their blockbuster trade, the Senators still have work to do.
In addition to building continuity with players on the team, Ottawa must boost its offense by selecting the best available forward in the 2024 NHL Draft, per insight from Gallant.
“If [Steve] Staios and the front office end up parting with [Erik] Brannstrom this summer, the rest of the D-core looks to be pretty much a lock to return in 2024-25. That means Chabot, Sanderson, Zub, and Chychrun will make up the top four, with Travis Hamonic and Jacob Bernard-Docker potentially rounding out the six-man group,” Gallant stated.
“For that reason, Ottawa should target a forward with the No. 7 overall pick in the NHL Draft at the end of June at the Sphere in Las Vegas,” Gallant explained. “There are a plethora of excellent skaters that could be available with that pick, including Spokane Chiefs center Berkly Catton, Medicine Hat Tigers center Cayden Lindstrom, and US national team development program winger Cole Eiserman, who has seen his stock rise in recent weeks.”
It will be interesting to see how the Senators continue to build their roster after their big trade.
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