Linus Ullmark signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Boston Bruins in July 2021.
Linus Ullmark signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Boston Bruins in July 2021.
Linus Ullmark remains a Boston Bruin.
Friday’s 3 p.m. NHL trade deadline came and went without general manager Don Sweeney dealing one of the team’s top assets – but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t close to doing so.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported Friday that the Bruins were working on a deal for Ullmark, but the goaltender blocked the move “in large part based on geography.” Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff reported the other team involved in the non-trade was the Los Angeles Kings.
Ullmark, who signed a four-year, $20 million contract with Boston in July 2021, has a 16-team no-trade clause. Sweeney would not reveal if Ullmark declined to waive his no-trade clause ahead of the deadline.
“At the end of the day, I’m not ever going to get into a conversation with what I may have talked to Linus about,” Sweeney said Friday. “I’ve acknowledged we’ve explored different situations, and we had opportunities to move different players.”
The Bruins didn’t end up making any blockbuster moves. The team acquired veteran forward Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild for AHL Providence forward Luke Toporowski and a 2026 sixth-round conditional draft pick, as well as defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets for Providence defenseman Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round draft pick.
Moving Ullmark would’ve guaranteed a hefty return but, due to the circumstances, not one Sweeney thought was immediately worth it.
“If I had to rob from a real strength of this hockey club, that was something we may have to do if it made our team ultimately better. And we didn’t move in that direction,” Sweeney said. “If we were going to do that…it had to offset something else. And we didn’t find the right situation that might’ve done that.”
So, the Bruins’ goalie-tandem lives on – at least for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Ullmark will continue to split the net with Jeremy Swayman. In terms of Swayman’s standing, Sweeney wouldn’t confirm if there’s been “progress” with a contract extension, but said it’s something he’d like to get done.
While Boston didn’t add at the center role or bolster its left-side defense with Derek Forbort now likely out for the season, its strongest position – goaltending – remains intact.
“I really like the tandem we have right now. I’m very happy that we’ve [stood] pat there,” Sweeney said. “Both goalies benefit from having a strong relationship, from pushing each other, knowing it’s hard to get the net because the other guy’s really good too. And the team responds to that as well.”
Ullmark is expected to start Saturday when the Bruins host the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 3 p.m. puck drop at TD Garden. The goaltender has a 2.77 goals against average and .910 save percentage through 31 games, and will be looking for his first win since Feb. 8.
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