Ottawa Senators | Finally a goalkeeper… finally the playoffs?

It’s not like the Ottawa Senators have never had a good goaltender.

But seeing Linus Ullmark get the first star of the game last Thursday, in his first start in his new uniform, can certainly lead fans to believe that the time has finally come, for this organization, to invite itself into the portrait of the playoffs.

“We only have one game to play,” defender Thomas Chabot warned several times on Saturday morning, a few hours before the scheduled clash between his club and the Montreal Canadiens. It’s obvious. There is, however, something in the air that feels like the winds of change. And the man in front of the net is no stranger to it.

After three seasons with the Boston Bruins, Ullmark was traded to the Senators last June. The one who won the Vezina Trophy in 2023 was perhaps not the only missing piece to the club’s success. But he was certainly the main one.

The expected goals model tells us that the Sens goalkeepers were the worst in the league last season, allowing 36 too many goals in all situations, according to the Natural Stat Trick site. Better performances might not have carried the team to the playoffs…but it wouldn’t have hurt either.

We therefore understand that the acquisition of Ullmark has injected a dose of euphoria into the federal capital. In addition, the Swede has signed, in recent days, a four-year contract extension which will earn him an average of 8.25 million in the meantime. He could certainly have waited to see how his first season went before committing so quickly, especially since there is one year left on his current agreement. However, contrary to popular perception, he believes he “took [son] time”, without rushing anything.

Following the transaction, he spent a few weeks at home in Sweden thinking about his future. Then, during the summer and especially in the last few weeks, he met his new bosses and teammates.

“I believe a lot in the value of people, not just in terms of hockey,” he emphasized on Saturday after his club’s morning training. [La direction] allowed me to take my time. »

In the Ottawa area, he found an “environment” where his wife and their children felt “at home”. “Having them feel comfortable and safe means a lot to me,” he said. I can’t know what it would be like elsewhere. At this point [de ma carrière]I wanted to think logically, not just with my emotions. »

Optimism

Unsurprisingly, this decision by Ullmark did not go unnoticed.

“It’s great,” head coach Travis Green said about it. It says a lot about Linus, but also about our team and our city. We will have an elite goaltender who wants to play and live in Ottawa. He demonstrated all his confidence in the organization. »

“It’s huge,” added Thomas Chabot. We saw it with the last Stanley Cup champions; Often, it’s the goalies that make the difference in the playoffs, even during a long season. »

Without criticizing the goalkeepers who have paraded in front of the Ottawa net in recent years – Joonas Korpisalo, Cam Talbot, Matt Murray, etc. – the Quebecer recognizes that “when a goalkeeper performs less well, the team performs less well too”.

Ultimately, the team acquired not only a goalkeeper who belongs to the elite of his profession, but also a 31-year-old player who brings with him a wealth of experience.

And even though Chabot insists it’s only one game ago, it was nonetheless a 3-1 win over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

After years of misery, could this finally be the year the Senators make the playoffs?

Chabot is careful not to promise anything. But he sensed a “change” at training camp, led by a new coaching staff. A “much more detailed” camp, according to him, during which the general “attitude” was different. He senses in his teammates an obvious appetite for success and a desire to invest all the necessary efforts to achieve it.

“We have been watching the series from home for several years and we know how much we would like to be there,” he concluded. This is the turn we want to take as a team, we want it to be our turn. »

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