If you were wondering why Linus Ullmark would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Ottawa Senators without a contract extension, the former Bruin goalie cleared that up in his introductory Zoom call with Ottawa reporters.
Contrary to popular belief, Ottawa was never on his no-trade list.
“There was nothing to waive at,” said the smiling Ullmark, as upbeat and affable as he usually was in Boston.
That being said, Ullmark did not give any indication he’d be unwilling to make a long term commitment to the Sens – and possibly be a thorn the B’s side for years to come. His new goaltending mate, Anton Forsberg, is a long-time friend from their junior days in Sweden. Ottawa and Swedish legend Daniel Alfredsson, now a Sens’ assistant under new head coach Travis Green, already reached out and began the sell job on the team and city. And he was appreciative that other players, including captain Brady Tkachuk, have also called.
“I feel very welcome and also my wife feels the same way. That’s a big reason for us at least that we feel very satisfied with that approach,” said Ullmark. “It’s something I felt very proud of as Bruin when I signed there. We had guys like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand that reached out a that point making you feel welcome. And to see that in the leadership group in Ottawa as well is very promising.”
But he chose to go to Boston in free agency. He did not pick Ottawa, and as much as likes what he hears about the Canadian capital being a great place to raise a family, he wants to get a little more acclimated before he signs anything. He’s got one more year left on his deal and he could get another crack at free agency next summer if he chooses, this time with a Vezina on his resume.
“It’s only been 24 oor 36 hours hours, so it’s still fresh,” said Ullmark. “So my biggest concern now is finding a place for my family to live and finding schools for my kids and getting to know the people in Ottawa and also with the Senators. So the whole contract situation and thoughts about that, that is something that (GM) Steve (Staios) and my agent will deal with off the side and I told them as well that once there’s something that needs to be discussed, you can always reach me obviously. I’m the player so I’m the one who’ll be signing it. That’s the situation right now. I try not to look to far ahead. I try to stay in the moment and not worry about what may be or what could be in the future.”
One thing that intrigues Ullmark about Ottawa is the chance to get more starts. Having been mostly a tandem goalie — even in his his Vezina season, he played just 49 games – he’s eager for a chance to get on a roll.
“It’s always something that I’ve dreamed about, being a clear No. 1 and playing a lot of games,” said Ullmark.
Unless the B’s decide to continue wheeling and dealing the goaltender market — and at the moment that doesn’t appear to be the case — Ullmark will be trading roster spots with now former Senators’ goalie Joonas Korpisalo, included in the trade that also brought back a first round pick (25th) and bottom six forward Mark Kastelic.
After signing a five-year, $20 million deal with the Sens tat was signed by the previous GM Pierre Dorion, Korpisalo had a rough first season in Ottawa, posting a .890 save percentage and 3.27 GAA with a 21-26-4.
There’s hope that the B’s highly-regarded goalie coach Bob Essensa can help turn around the 30-year-old Korpisalo. While Ullmark wasn’t commenting directly on Korpisalo’s situation, the former B’s netminder gave a strong testimonial for Essensa.
“Goalie Bob is a special human being in all the right ways. He is a terrific guy. He’s a special human being and he brings a smile to my face every time I see him, whenever I’m around him,” said Ullmark. “We’ve had our conversations, our discussions throughout the years, but there’s never been any bad blood and there’s always been a good understanding of what needs to be done. I’ve enjoyed every single moment together with him and I have a lot of gratitude towards Bobby. I’ve said it before and I really do think goalie coaches should be available to be selected into the Hall of Fame. And I think he is a first ballot Hall of Famer.”
And fear not, Bruins fans, he doesn’t plan on making you jealous in his post-game celebrations with Forsberg. He said the goalie hug he made famous with Jeremy Swayman is going to be left in Boston.
“I haven’t really thought about it, but I’m not going to bring it to Ottawa,” he said. “The patented goalie hug that we had in Boston, that’s for me and Sway only and that’s out of respect for what we had and what we built through our years together and the respect and love and admiration that I have for him. I’m not going to say I’m going to come up with something new or anything like that…we’ll see what happens. Who knows? Maybe there will be a dab or something. I’m not going to try too hard to come up with a new thing. I’m just going to let it play out naturally.”