It’s been almost two weeks since the Boston Bruins traded away goaltender Linus Ullmark. The team had previously attempted to move him at this past season’s trade deadline to the Los Angeles Kings, but Ullmark himself nixed that trade with his modified no-trade clause. However, trade rumors involving Ullmark have persisted since last summer, when speculation arose about whether general manager Don Sweeney would trade him to secure a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Coincidentally, that is exactly what happened two weeks ago.
This trade initially left many puzzled and continues to raise questions. It seems the Bruins rushed into trading Ullmark and could easily regret it in the upcoming 2024-25 season. Additionally, the return for Ullmark, a player who has been crucial to the team’s success over the past two seasons, seems insufficient. Let’s break it down below.
What the Bruins Lost
Ullmark is just one season removed from winning the Vezina Trophy in 2023. While he didn’t replicate his extraordinary success from 2022-23, he still had a solid 2023-24 season, ranking among the top NHL goaltenders with a 22-10-7 record, a .915 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.57 goals-against average (GAA).
Watching any Bruins game over the past two seasons, it’s clear that goaltending was the team’s strongest asset. Ullmark, alongside Jeremy Swayman, formed the NHL’s best goaltending tandem, frequently stealing games for the team and covering up numerous roster issues during the 2023-24 season.
Despite head coach Jim Montgomery’s plans to rotate goaltenders during the 2024 postseason, Ullmark only started one game, a Game 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. However, Ullmark didn’t lose the starting job due to poor play; he performed decently in Game 2, but Swayman was playing exceptionally well, leading Montgomery to stick with the hot hand.
The playoffs solidified a growing sentiment among fans and within the organization: the team didn’t need Ullmark as Swayman was ready to be the clear number one goalie. The necessity for a strong rotation diminished, especially given the team’s struggles at the center position.
In some respects, trading Ullmark makes sense. Instead of an even 50-50 split between goaltenders, Swayman could take on a heavier load, and a more traditional backup could be brought in at a lower cost than Ullmark’s $5 million cap hit. The saved money could be allocated elsewhere.
Still, losing Ullmark, despite Swayman’s strong play and rise to being a top NHL goaltender, weakens a considerable strength for the Bruins. Ullmark is only one year removed from being the best goaltender in the NHL and has maintained his performance level. Trading him is a loss for the team, but with a substantial return, it could be a necessary sacrifice to aim for a Stanley Cup in 2024-25.
What the Bruins Gained
This brings us to what the Bruins received from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for one of the league’s top goaltenders. This is where opinions diverge, and the trade shifts from a necessary sacrifice to a questionable decision.
The Bruins received the Senators’ first-round pick in the 2024 Draft (pick number 25), center Mark Kastelic, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, with 25% of his $4 million salary retained by Ottawa. This return isn’t what fans might have expected or wanted for Ullmark. Kastelic adds depth at center but hasn’t found his footing in the NHL, tallying five goals and 10 points in 63 games last season. Korpisalo, meanwhile, is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career after signing a five-year, $20 million contract last summer, posting a 21-26-4 record, a .890 SV%, and a 3.27 GAA.
The Bruins’ primary interest in this trade was obviously the first-round pick, which they used to select Dean Letourneau. Boston had not picked in the first round since 2021 due to various deadline trades aimed at postseason success. While the team’s prospect pool isn’t as weak as some think, they lack “exciting” prospects. Acquiring a first-round pick is a significant boost to their pipeline.
Even with the first-round pick, there are many question marks surrounding this return, especially given Ullmark’s quality. Even if the market wasn’t as strong as the front office hoped, one would expect the Bruins to get a player with more immediate impact potential. Kastelic is among several young players in the Bruins’ system who could become legitimate NHL players but haven’t proven themselves and lack high ceilings. Korpisalo has had great moments in his career, but it’s uncertain if he can bounce back from last season. He could work well as Swayman’s backup, but is trading Ullmark worth it for a backup goaltender? Letourneau is an exciting prospect, but he’s still just a prospect, and it’s unclear when or if he’ll be NHL-ready.
Win Now or Building for the Future in Boston?
The added intrigue of this trade is a question that has hovered over the Bruins for several seasons and is epitomized by this move. Are the Bruins in win-now mode or building for the future? The Bruins had the cap space to sign a center during free agency without trading Ullmark, and ultimately, they only created around $2 million in cap space with the trade.
The Bruins have the longest active playoff streak in the NHL and have been retooling on the fly. They’ve had major turnovers with the retirements of Zdeno Chara, Tuukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci but have transitioned to a new core with Swayman, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm, and David Pastrnak, with Brad Marchand remaining as the connecting piece between the old and new guards. This new core isn’t particularly young anymore, with Pastrnak entering his 11th season and McAvoy nearing a decade. The time to win is now, especially for Marchand, who is nearing the end of his career.
Trading a significant reason for your recent success is questionable when you’re in win-now mode. The Bruins have managed to avoid a major rebuild and keep their championship window open longer than expected. However, you can’t always rebuild on the fly. You can’t trade away a major piece for a draft pick and remain just as competitive. The Ullmark trade didn’t bring in assets to immediately address roster issues while losing a crucial part of the team’s success, potentially leading to regression next season.
The Bruins have spent significant money to bring in center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov, definite upgrades to the roster. But are they enough to compensate for the absence of a top-tier goaltender every night like in 2023-24? Swayman is a superstar, but he can’t play every regular season game like in the postseason. The Ullmark trade didn’t bring in assets to immediately address roster issues, and the team could regress next season.
Who Won the Trade?
At the moment, it’s easy to say the Senators have won the trade. They get an established, talented player coming off a great season and likely to impact the ice. Most importantly, they didn’t lose much. Korpisalo was a potential buyout candidate, Kastelic hasn’t panned out yet in the NHL, and they only gave up the 25th overall pick, retaining the seventh overall. Even if Ullmark underperforms in 2024-25 (which is doubtful), this trade doesn’t significantly hurt them.
For Boston, there are many unknowns with this return, both in the assets received and how Ullmark’s loss will affect the roster. With Ullmark entering the final year of his contract, would it have been so bad to keep a strong goaltending tandem and go all-in for 2024-25? Swayman is ready to be the number one, but there’s nothing wrong with having two strong goaltenders. It might have been painful to lose Ullmark to free agency next summer, but are the assets from this trade worth it? The optics would be better if the return addressed immediate roster issues.
The Bruins may have shown their hand too much. The rumors last summer, during the season, and the failed deadline deal made it clear how eager Boston was to trade Ullmark, potentially affecting their return. Ullmark’s no-move clause also limited their options, but previous failed attempts likely influenced this deal.
The Bruins look like the losers of this trade, but history might view it more favorably, depending on Letourneau’s success. If he becomes the Bruins’ best “homegrown” center since Bergeron and Krejci, this trade will seem more balanced. Boston has struggled to draft and develop an impactful center since those two, but Letourneau might finally address that issue.
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