The Ottawa Senators have acquired goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Mark Kastelic, Joonas Korpisalo and a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.
Ottawa retains 25% of Korpisalo’s US$4 million salary. The Bruins recover on the 25the total pick that originally belonged to them, before trades involving the Red Wings and Senators last year.
Ullmark, 30, had a 22-10-7 record this season, a 2.57 goals-against average per game, a .915 save percentage and two shutouts. He only got one start, which he lost, in the playoffs (3.90; .886).
There is one season remaining on the four-year, US$20 million contract he signed with the Bruins on July 28, 2021.
In 2022-23, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy, awarded annually to the best goaltender in the NHL. He had a fabulous record of 40-6-1 (1.89; .938; 2 bl.). However, the Bruins were surprised in the first round of the playoffs by the Florida Panthers. The veteran started in his team’s first six games before being replaced by Jeremy Swayman for the seventh game.
It was Swayman who took the lead over his former teammate in front of the Bruins net during the current campaign. He’s also the one who got the vast majority of playoff starts, posting a 6-6 record (2.15; .933). The younger of the two goalkeepers could become a restricted free agent on the 1stis July.
Ullmark is a sixth-round pick (163e overall) from the 2021 draft. His career record is 138-73-23 (2.51; .919; 8 bl.) in 247 games, including 238 starts. In the playoffs, he struggled, as evidenced by his 3-6 record (3.59; .887).
The acquisition of the Swede by the Senators comes almost a year after their unsuccessful attempt to make Korpisalo their franchise goalie, he who had signed a five-year, US$20 million contract with the team on July 2.
Korpisalo was 21-26-4 (3.27; .890) this season, below that of his backup Anton Forsberg, who was 15-12-0 (3.21; .890). .890; 2 bl.).
Columbus Blue Jackets third-round pick (62e overall) from the 2012 draft, Korpisalo has a career record of 115-107-29 (3.06; .901; 4 bl.) with the Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Senators. In the playoffs, he has a record of 5-9 (2.59; .922; 2 bl.).
Kastelic has 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 63 games this season. The 25-year-old forward, fifth-round pick (125e in total) from Ottawa in 2019, had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and 102 penalty minutes in 65 games in his rookie season, in 2022-23.
