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Linus Ullmark is expected to win the Vezina Trophy at Monday night’s NHL Awards Show in Nashville. It’s possible that could be the last thing he does as a member of the Bruins.
While trading Ullmark is not something general manager Don Sweeney wants to do, it could be a move he ultimately decides is necessary as he looks for ways to keep the Bruins competitive while working with less than $5 million in cap space.
With Ullmark on the books for two more years with a $5 million cap hit and restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman in line for a raise that could bring him up to the $3-4 million range, the Bruins could wind up near the top of the league in goaltender spending if they keep both. With so much work to do elsewhere on the roster, Sweeney may determine that’s a luxury the Bruins simply can’t afford.
It's a reality Ullmark is well aware of, as he admitted during his pre-Awards Show media availability on Sunday that he has given at least some thought to the possibility of getting traded.
“It’s crossed my mind, yeah,” Ullmark said, according to the Boston Globe. “I mean, I’m not going to lie, that’s the business part of it. That’s what we live in.”
Ullmark and Swayman put together a historically great regular season, combining for a .929 team save percentage that blew away the second-place Islanders by 14 points and was a whopping 30 points higher than the league average.
The Bruins moved away from the rotation in the playoffs, though, and Ullmark faltered in Games 5 and 6 before Boston finally turned to Swayman in Game 7 in an unsuccessful attempt to save its season.
Ullmark said he and Swayman would like to remain together, especially since they’re also such close friends, but acknowledged that tandems as good as theirs don’t last forever.
“When you have two goalies that are so close when it comes to stat-wise, there’s got to be some changes, probably,” Ullmark said. “And hopefully, like I think, for both of us, that we both want to be together and we want to stay in Boston because that’s where we thrive and you see the success that we’ve had and we’ve just got see, you know. There’s a personal side to it and there’s a business side to it and you’ve got to honor it. That’s just how being a professional hockey player is.”
Ullmark has a full no-movement clause that transitions to a 16-team no-trade list on July 1 (the same day free agency and the new league year begin), so he would have some control over where he goes if the Bruins do in fact decide to trade him.
Regardless, with the NHL Draft this Wednesday and Thursday and free agency beginning on Saturday, whatever moves the Bruins make are going to have to start happening soon.