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Senators, Linus Ullmark haven’t discussed contract extension

Originally posted on NHL on ClutchPoints
By Colin Gallant | Last updated Sep 25, 2024 9:53 AM ET

The Ottawa Senators made a huge upgrade between the pipes when they landed Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins this summer. The 31-year-old should be significantly better than Joonas Korpisalo was in Canada’s capital, and there’s no doubt that he’s a bonafide No. 1 goaltender.

Still, he is only under contract for the 2024-25 season, and there are no indications as of yet that the Swede will re-sign in Ottawa when his four-year, $20 million contract expires next summer, per TSN’s Chris Johnston.

“His situation is unique because he has ended up with the Ottawa Senators via trade from Boston back in June, and even though he is entering that last year, and the Senators obviously gave up assets to acquire him, they have not yet started talking substantively about extension talks with Ullmark,” Johnston reported on the latest episode of Insider Trading.

The hockey insider added: “Now that’s not because they don’t intend to do so, obviously Ottawa thinks highly of the player, they would love to keep him. But I think that the strategy is maybe to let this breathe a little bit, give him time to get comfortable in the city and with his new team, and then broach those contract discussions somewhere weeks or months down the road.”

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun also addressed the topic in his latest NHL rumblings:

“The Sens took a big swing by acquiring the veteran goaltender from Boston in a June trade and have strong interest in trying to make his stay in Canada’s capital an extended one, but they’re planning to let things breathe a bit before getting down to business,” he confirmed.

“GM Steve Staios wants to give Ullmark time to get as excited about the team and city as the organization is already about having him in the fold.”

Although there have been rumors that Ullmark will eventually sign a contract extension to stay in Canada, it looks like there have been no serious talks between player and club as of yet.

Despite that, Ullmark believes the Senators have a roster capable of advancing to the postseason. The franchise hasn’t played meaningful hockey past the end of April since 2017.

Linus Ullmark believes the Senators can be a playoff team this season

A goal scored by Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (not seen) on Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) was overturned after video review during the second period in game two of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

“Hopefully, going into this season, with some new coaching staff and all that sort of stuff, we can get the ball rolling,” Ullmark told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger shortly after the trade. “Once we do that, that’s going to be a very dangerous team going forward.”

The former Vezina Trophy winner added: “It’s all about consistency. It’s all about winning on a daily basis to try to achieve something new and to evolve as a player every single day and not to be satisfied just because you won two or three games in a row. You’ve got to keep doing that. You can’t just win three or four and then lose three or four. It’s all about the consistency of winning that will get you into the playoffs.”

Ullmark is no stranger to the postseason, having been part of three consecutive elite Bruins clubs from 2021-24. Although none of those teams won a Stanley Cup, the veteran has key playoff experience.

With a No. 1 goaltender now in the fold, the franchise should hang around the playoff picture all season long. It’ll be intriguing to see if the squad can finally break the drought, and how impactful Ullmark will be in that effort in 2024-25.

This article first appeared on NHL on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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