Trade Linus Ullmark? Bruins must consider these key questions first originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The March 8 NHL trade deadline is getting closer and closer and the Boston Bruins still haven’t made a move to upgrade their roster for the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Given the Bruins’ lack of draft capital, quality prospects and salary cap space (just $57,500 in room, per CapFriendly), they likely will need to trade a player from their NHL roster in order to acquire a meaningful player, like Calgary Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin for example.
One way to open up cap space is trading goalie Linus Ullmark, who has a $5 million cap hit through next season.
“One thing about Boston, I think they’re looking for a center, I think they’re looking for a defenseman,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast. “They don’t have picks. I had a few people point out to me, the Bruins actually have players they can move. Now, there’s a lot of whispers about Ullmark. I’m really careful about this at this time of year, because a lot of it becomes almost circumstantial evidence. … Teams out there do believe that the Bruins are trying to upgrade their roster.
“And all you have to do is look at what they are capable of and say it’s not coming out of the draft. Do they really want to deal their top prospects, some of whom have already played in the NHL? I don’t think so. So, if they want to make changes, it probably has to come off their roster, and that’s why I think people are looking at Ullmark.
“Now, I don’t think it’s impossible. He has some control. But the whole thing is, if the Bruins are trying to win the Stanley Cup, then why would you subtract from one of your greatest strengths? The only thing I can think of there is if they get something so good that they just feel they have to do it. But I’d be very curious to see what that would be.”
Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman represent the league’s top goalie tandem. Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy last season and they combined to win the Jennings Trophy for fewest goals allowed. They are playing at a similarly impressive level this season (more on that in the section below). The goalie rotation strategy used by head coach Jim Montgomery has gone very well.
There are many pros and cons to an Ullmark trade, and several key questions have to be considered before making that kind of move. Here’s a breakdown of the most pertinent questions surrounding this…