OTTAWA — Historically, the Ottawa Senators haven`t been known for having top-tier goaltending.
But Linus Ullmark is determined to change that narrative.
It`s not every day a team acquires a recent Vezina Trophy winner at the peak of their career and then quickly signs them to a long-term contract. Yet, that`s exactly how the Ottawa Senators found their potential star goalie.
Just before Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Senators traded for Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, sending Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a first-round draft pick in return.
“To be completely honest,” Ullmark admitted, “Whenever you`re traded, you can`t help but feel a bit disappointed, like you weren`t quite good enough, and the team thought they needed a better solution or had a better option available.”
However, after the initial shock, Ullmark`s feelings shifted to optimism.
“When you get traded, you start thinking about whether your old team truly valued you, not just that another team happened to want you,” he explained.
“There are always two sides to it. You begin to realize, `Okay, maybe this isn`t as bad as I initially thought.` Then, a couple of days later, you might think, `Actually, this is pretty exciting.` And then after some more time, you conclude, `This is great!`”
Still, a major question for the Swedish goalie was whether Ottawa could become his long-term home. At 31, with only one year left on his contract at the time of the trade, Ullmark had uncertainties. He wasn’t sure what to expect from the Canadian hockey market and how his wife, Moa, and their two children, Harry and Lily, would adapt to a new environment.
“I didn’t want to just be traded, sign a contract, and not really know what I was getting into,” Ullmark said.
“You never know if the grass is truly greener on the other side, or if it`s going to be good or bad. Was I making the right choice? We didn’t want to rush into anything.”
