Senators hoping to extend newly acquired goaltender

He's recorded 88 wins and a collective .924 save percentage in 130 games on the contract. That stat line includes his Vezina-winning performance in 2023 when Ullmark posted 40 wins and a .938 save percentage in 49 games. 

The dazzling year not only earned him the Vezina — and he and Jeremy Swayman the William Jennings Trophy — but also ranked Ullmark 10th in Hart Trophy voting.

The 2022-23 season elevated Ullmark into the conversation with goaltenders like Igor Shesterkin and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Naturally, it took a significant amount of time for the Senators to work out a deal for that caliber of player, with Ullmark trade talks starting at the 2024 trade deadline, shares Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia Hockey.

Ullmark was a very popular name at the deadline, using his no-movement clause to reject a move to the Los Angeles Kings and even ending up in discussions of a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes. Boston wasn’t able to find a move that worked, though, and now settles for what many argue is a meager return from the aggressive Senators.

Per Staios, that aggression on the market isn’t set to end anytime soon. The team will continue to look at all of its trade options leading up to the draft, including continuing to shop around the seventh overall pick, shares Scanlan. 

Ottawa is also poised to test the free-agent market after July 1, with Staios sharing that the team is looking to add pieces to build around its strong core. 

Staios didn’t specify who these core pieces were, though he did express a lot of hope in their ability to take the next step under new head coach Travis Green. 

Ottawa has each of Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot signed through at least the next three seasons. With extensions to Ullmark and Shane Pinto, the Senators would solidify a young cohort of talent that stretches through the bottom of their lineup.

Staios’ faith in his lineup was apparent through his interview, with the rookie GM even heaping praise onto the depth of his coaching staff, which features Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Yeo, Nolan Baumgartner and Ben Sexton behind Green. 

The Senators are entering the summer with a measly $11.3M in cap space — and will need to be smart spenders as they prepare for a hefty Ullmark extension. But it seems the eagerness to build a contender is there — giving Senators fans plenty to be excited about after a year of major turnover.