The club announced on Sunday afternoon that 'Ullmark has the full support of our organization during this time.'
Following Linus Ullmark’s unexpected absence from practice on Sunday morning, the Ottawa Senators issued a press release a few hours later.
Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios announced today that goaltender Linus Ullmark will be taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. "Linus has the full support of our organization during this time," said Staios. "Out of respect to Linus, we will not be making any further comments."-
The Swedish goaltender played 27 and a half minutes during Saturday night’s 7-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs before being mercifully pulled after allowing two consecutive soft goals in the early stages of the second period.
Ullmark was named the NHL’s ‘Second Star of the Week’ six days ago for a stretch that included a 3-0-0 record, a 1.32 goals-against average, a .943 save percentage, and one shutout. Despite that torrid stretch, it has not been a particularly strong season for the goaltender.
Evolving-Hockey ranks Ullmark as having the second-lowest goals saved above expected (GSAx) metric in the NHL, trailing only Jordan Binnington. Through 28 games, Ullmark has compiled a 14-8-5 record while posting a pedestrian save percentage (.881) and goals against average (2.95). Those marks fall well below his career averages (.914 SV%, 2.58 GAA).
Ullmark raised some eyebrows during training camp after he acknowledged to the media that something needed to change.
“I think we are going to have to make some little changes for next summer that might improve how I feel now.”
His comments arrived on the second day of camp, and they were slightly jarring since camp is often synonymous with unbridled optimism and positivity.
In an interview last month, I asked Ullmark what he meant by that comment in camp.
“I had some personal things that I wasn't really happy with last year,” he acknowledged. “I had them this year as well. The reason is between me and some other people in my life, but it is what it is. At the time, you're trying to handle it and do the best you can for the situation, so it's all taken care of in a good place. I'm happy with it. Left it to rest, and I don't have to deal with it anymore. So I'm happy with it.”
It is unfair to speculate on what is troubling him now, but hopefully, it isn't that serious. The only thing that matters is that Ullmark and his family receive all the time and support they need to get through this difficult time.
Ullmark has openly spoken about the importance of mental health before and understands what he needs to do to keep himself healthy.
“I'm a big advocate for (mental health),” Ullmark acknowledged during that same interview from November. “I’ve always been. That's always been a thing for me as well: throughout my career, I've met a lot of great people who've taught me a lot of good things.
"I know how tough it is to play in this league. I know how tough it is to have a family. I know how tough it is to lose a loved one early. I've been through a lot in my life, and maybe that makes it easier for me to relate to other people's hardships.
“I've also made a decision in my life to put myself in situations where I'm not as comfortable and to meet people who have it way worse than I do.
“One of the things that I've learned through this whole thing is that when it comes to Bell’s ‘Let's Talk’ and other mental health initiatives, it doesn't matter how big your problems are. Even though your problems might not be big, they can still hurt.“
"For people who go through life having a loved one who's going through cancer, that is a big thing. Then maybe someone's playing hockey, for example, and they don't get to play as much as they'd like. That's a tough thing as well, but on the scale when it comes to life, one of them is heavier than the other. But it doesn't mean the other guy's problems don't hurt.
“We all go through life in different ways. So just being curious about other people and talking with them and showing that you're there, checking in, and not just doing the casual ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ and then they say, 'Good.’ Maybe you ask them one more time and make them think about it, because that's when you know it can create an opening. You might catch something, and it's a skill.”
If there is an encouraging sign, this is a player who recognizes the importance of mental health and understands when it is time to step away. Rather than try to play through this, Ullmark is rightfully putting his family and himself first.
While he does, he will have the entire Sens Nation behind him.
In the interim, the Senators will have no choice but to give rookie goaltender Leevi Merilainen the net for an extended period of time.
The timing is eerily reminiscent of last season when Ullmark was felled by a back injury in late December. Backup goaltender Anton Forsberg was already on the shelf at the time after getting injured during a pregame warmup earlier in the month, so the Senators turned to an ineffective Mads Sogaard before giving Merilainen an opportunity.
In a 10-game stretch from December 29th to February 2nd, the Finnish goaltender thrived, posting a 7-2-1 record, a 1.70 goals against average, a .938 save percentage, and three shutouts. Evolving-Hockey’s game logs show him saving 4.86 expected goals during this period.
The goaltending position has certainly underperformed this season.
Despite some very strong underlying defensive numbers, the Senators are 29th in five-on-five save percentage (89.42) and dead last in penalty kill save percentage (78.72) per Natural Stat Trick.Like Ullmark, Merilainen has underperformed this season, compiling the fifth-lowest goals saved above expected mark (-5.66 GSAx) in the league.
Before taking his leave of absence, Ullmark was on pace to play a career-high 62 games this season, which left Merilainen playing once every 7 to 10 days.
The expectation is that the veteran Hunter Shepard will be recalled from Belleville, which means that Merilainen will now be tasked with playing almost every night while Ullmark takes his leave of absence. That is not something he has been called upon to do since his aforementioned 10-game stretch last season.
The hope for the Senators and their fans now is that playing more games can lead to a better version of Leevi Merilainen. Without it, any hope for the playoffs will be sunk.
By Graeme Nichols
The Hockey News - Ottawa
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