After failing to reach the final at February's inaugural Four Nations Face-Off, Team Sweden head coach Sam Hallam will get another chance at international glory at this month's World Hockey Championship. Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7613c351-63e0-4043-87e8-7fce83b65195.jpeg] Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark. John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images However, the same opportunity was not extended to his top two goalies from that tournament. Following their NHL teams' recent eliminations, Ottawa Senators goalie Linus Ullmark and former Senator goalie Filip Gustavsson, now with Minnesota, both contacted Team Sweden, hoping to represent their country again. Both offers were politely rejected. Bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] and never miss the latest Senators news, interviews, columns, features and more. Hallam told Swedish newspaper Expressen [https://www.expressen.se/sport/hockey/tre-kronor/sam-hallam-om-linus-ullmark-petningen-jakligt-forbannad/] this week that he has no regrets about the decision. "I stand behind it 100 percent that it was the right decision," Hallam said. "We talk about pros and cons and guesses. (Goaltending) wasn't a position I was prepared to gamble with. I'm very comfortable with how we handled the situation and with the goalkeepers we have." At a glance, it looks like Ullmark was beaten out by three goalies: Jacob Markstrom, Samuel Ersson, and Arvid Soderblom, who are all a little light on Vezina Trophies. But timing was a factor as well. Linus Ullmark discusses how his first season in Ottawa went (Senators on YouTube) Last Saturday, during the Senators’ final media availability, when Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch asked him about it, Ullmark admitted he was disappointed. "It would have been a great opportunity to play for Team Sweden obviously back home in Stockholm,” Ullmark said. “So, I’m let down about that whole situation. I really wish that I had the opportunity to do that and put the national team jersey on now, especially when we didn’t make it to the second round. “But that’s the decision that they’ve made. There's nothing I can go about and change. It’s just something that they have to own up to.” Frankly, it does seem a little odd to leave the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner off the team. And it's not like Ullmark can be judged harshly for his 4 Nations performance. Coming off injury, he didn't start any of the three games. His only action was coming in cold after Gustavsson was yanked midway through the second game. However, with the top 16 NHL teams competing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the availability of goalies from those rosters is uncertain — their teams could go deep, or the players could get injured. By choosing Ersson (Philadelphia) and Soderblom (Chicago), both from non-playoff teams, Sweden ensured stability and availability in goal. Beyond that, the Swedes did leave space for one wild card: a goalie from an NHL team eliminated in the first round. As it turned out, there were three excellent options — Ullmark, Gustavsson, and New Jersey's Jacob Markstrom. If Sweden had known all three goalies would lose in the playoffs, they might have acted differently. Communications Shift: Senators Now Play It Close To The Vest Under Staios [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d71788b6-c765-411c-8bea-6fd29d2e23a5.jpeg] Communications Shift: Senators Now Play It Close To The Vest Under Staios If the past week’s events have taught us anything about Steve Staios’ stewardship of the Ottawa Senators as general manager, it’s that he is incredibly guarded. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/ottawa-senators/latest-news/communications-shift-senators-now-play-it-close-to-the-vest-under-staios] Markstrom had missed the Four Nations tournament due to injury, so he may have been Sweden’s preferred option all along. Meanwhile, cutting Ersson or Soderblom at the last second after they had committed to play for their country would have set a poor tone for the future. It's already hard enough for national programs to convince NHL players to play in the event. “A lot happens in the playoffs, there can be both injuries and them winning their hockey games," Hallam told Expressen. "So that is why we really wanted to be safe with having two in place, then we hoped to spice it up with a really good goalie, and that is what happened.” For Ullmark, if Sweden truly believed he was a lesser goalie than all three of the netminders they took, that might qualify as a snub. But this was just a timing thing, and there's zero shame in losing out to Markstrom. Not only is Markstrom an elite NHL goalie, but his season ended two days earlier than Ottawa's, making him the proverbial bird in the hand for Sweden. "I have full respect for Linus' feelings of probably being damn angry at me for making the decision, and very disappointed," Hallam said. "It's part of the game, and I think his statements are transparent and good." You'd have to believe that Ullmark remains very much on Sweden's radar for the Winter Olympics in February when the NHL shuts down and timing isn't an issue for anyone. Steve Warne The Hockey News/Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] Bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa [http://thn.com/ottawa] and never miss the latest Senators news, interviews, columns, features and more.
