Linus Ullmark trade: Grading early returns from Bruins-Senators deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s still too early to declare a definitive winner in the Linus Ullmark trade made between the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators back in June. After all, we haven’t even hit Thanksgiving yet.
But with Ullmark slated to start Saturday night in his return to Boston, now is a good time to look at the early returns from this trade.
And so far, they are trending in the Bruins’ favor.
Ullmark was of course the centerpiece of the deal. The move helped the Bruins create some salary cap space and paved the way for Jeremy Swayman to become the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Boston. The Senators needed an upgrade in net after lackluster goaltending destroyed their chances of making the playoffs last season.
Ottawa has already committed to Ullmark long term, signing him to a four-year, $33 million contract extension shortly before the regular season commenced. This deal makes him one of the top 10 highest-paid goalies in the league.
The Senators haven’t yet received a great return for their investment. Ullmark has been unable to meaningfully improve the team through the first month of the campaign.
The former Vezina Trophy winner is 2-4-0 with a .892 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA. His minus-3.5 goals saved above expected ranks 62nd out of 71 qualifying goalies, per MoneyPuck. Ullmark’s most recent start was Tuesday versus the Buffalo Sabres, and he allowed five goals on 34 shots in a 5-1 loss.
It’s still very early in the season. Ullmark’s stats should improve – and potentially by a lot – but his early impact for Ottawa has been negative overall. And the Senators are hoping an improvement comes quickly because they entered Saturday with a 6-7-0 record, putting them in seventh place out of eight teams in the Atlantic Division.
The Bruins acquired veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo as part of the Ullmark trade. His inclusion in the deal was universally criticized by fans and the media – including yours truly – due to his struggles in Ottawa and the length and salary of his contract.
But the Finnish netminder deserves a lot of credit. He’s been pretty solid thus far, posting a 3-2-0 record with a .900 save percentage and a 2.72 GAA in five starts. In fact, Korpisalo has turned away 84 of the last 90 shots he has faced, which is a .933 save percentage. The Bruins just need Korpisalo to be a reliable backup behind Swayman, and he has accomplished that…