Penguins Might Target Vezina Winner Linus Ullmark
The Pittsburgh Penguins need to hit a home run with their goalie for 2023-24 and what better player than the Vezina winner?
The NHL is just over 24 hours away from opening the free agent market and the Pittsburgh Penguins are yet to make a commitment on a goalie.
Tristan Jarry struggled with the Penguins last season, and while Kyle Dubas says he has been in talks with the 27-year-old netminder, better options might be out there.
The list of goalies set to hit free agency isn’t stellar and it seems as if Dubas will focus more on trades for improvements rather than the open market.
One goalie in particular Dubas might have in mind is the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins.
According to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 the Fan, there is a rumor that the Penguins have engaged in trade talks with Ullmark.
The rumor swirled prior to the 2023 NHL Draft, and no moves for Ullmark were made throughout the event.
The Penguins had a first round pick to offer if they wanted to get a deal done, but they elected to keep the pick and select Brayden Yager 14th overall.
Dubas’ plan this offseason is to look at cap strapped teams and offer a helping hand by taking contracts the Penguins may be able to afford.
At $5 million for another two seasons, the Penguins could get great value out of Ullmark who is coming off of his Vezina winning season.
In 49 games played, Ullmark posted a 40-6-1 record with a .938 save percentage and 1.89 goals against average.
Not that the Bruins need to move on from one of Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman, but the Penguins could take a hard look at either netminder to solve their own issues between the pipes.
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