Social media was abuzz on Friday with news that recently acquired goalie Linus Ullmark, who has one year left on his deal, has bought a house in Ottawa.
When the Ottawa Senators acquired goalie Linus Ullmark from Boston back in late June, he seemed to check all the boxes. Ullmark was the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner, a good-guy-veteran with plenty of hockey left, and the possible solution for Ottawa's so-called goalie graveyard.
The only box he didn't check, and it's a big one, was whether he'd be willing to re-sign with the Senators after this season when he's scheduled to become a UFA.
"The whole contract situation is something that Steve Staios and my agent will deal with off to the side," Ullmark said in June. "And I told my agent that once there's something that needs to be discussed, you can always reach me."
If Ullmark doesn't re-sign, then trading away a first-round pick, along with Mark Kastelic and Joonas Korpisalo, suddenly loses a little of its highway robbery feel.
After trading for Alex DeBrincat and Jakob Chychrun, only to see them quickly traded away before the final year of their contracts, it's only natural for Ottawa fans to be looking for signs, clamouring and grasping for possible reasons why Ullmark might stay. So far, they've included the following:
- Ottawa gives him a chance to be an undisputed number one. Counterpoint: So will half a dozen other teams in UFA.
- Turns out Ottawa wasn't on his no-trade list. Counterpoint: 21 other teams weren't either.
- The 31-year-old is friends with Sens backup Anton Forsberg. Born eight months apart, they both came up as teammates in Sweden's MoDo junior ranks. That's a plus. Counterpoint: Forsberg is also entering the final year of his deal and will need a big season to earn a new contract and stay here.
- Ullmark said in June that he's heard Ottawa is a great place to raise a family, and says that speaks volumes for him. Counterpoint: That's true, and a nice thing to say, but most NHL cities have areas close to the arena that are highly family-friendly.
- Now reports have surfaced this week that Ullmark has purchased a house in Ottawa.
Counterpoint: That may be a good sign, or it may simply be due to the state of the Ottawa housing market. For example, when the Sens acquired Cam Talbot with one year left on his contract, he also bought a house in Ottawa. He told me it was primarily because he couldn't find what he wanted for his young family in the Ottawa rental market.
"There was zero to rent for a family of our size."
Like Talbot, Ullmark also has a wife and two young children.
Beyond his mortgage documents, we can't see Ullmark signing anything in Ottawa anytime soon – not unless the Sens offer something completely outrageous. In all likelihood, Ullmark will want to take them for a test drive, to see what this group of players and coaching staff are like to work with and whether he's likely to be successful here in the next few years.
If things go well there, that's when Sens fans can begin to hope and get serious about these little signs and harbingers.
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