Ullmark traded to Senators by Bruins for Korpisalo, 1st-round pick

Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators by the Boston Bruins on Monday for Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

The 30-year-old goaltender was 22-10-7 with a 2.57 goals-against average, .915 save percentage and two shutouts in 40 regular-season games (39 starts) this season. He was 0-1 with a 3.90 GAA and .886 save percentage in two Stanley Cup Playoff games (one start).

Ottawa (37-41-4) hired Travis Green as coach May 7, replacing Jacques Martin.

"It's a very young, but exciting team,” Ullmark said Wednesday. “There's a lot of speed and a lot of skill. And whenever we played them, it always felt like they played a really solid game. Obviously, that was something that they kept doing against everybody during the season, but they really showed how dangerous and how good they can be. And it's all about consistency in my mind.

“Hopefully, going into this season, with some new coaching staff and all that sort of stuff, we can get the ball rolling and once we do that, that's going to be a very dangerous team going forward."

Ullmark has one season remaining on a four-year, $20 million contract ($5 million average annual value) he signed with the Bruins as a free agent July 28, 2021.

"That'll all be part of the process, no doubt, when we do get the opportunity to meet.," Senators general manager Steve Staois told TSN 1200 on Tuesday. "You got through these, you make the acquisition, you make the trade, and so next steps will be further down the line on having Linus in long term for us. Those conversations will certainly be a priority."

Last season, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender after he went 40-6-1 with a 1.89 GAA, .938 save percentage and two shutouts in 49 regular-season games (48 starts). However, after starting Boston's first six games against the Florida Panthers in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round, he was replaced by Jeremy Swayman for Game 7, a 4-3 loss in overtime.

“Linus was a really good addition to the Boston Bruins," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Thursday. And (we) made a decision that, you know, in this case, both goaltenders (Ullmark and Swayman) wanted to play 55 games. And that's tough, unless someone gets hurt, to have both guys be playing. So we wish him well. 

In welcoming obviously, Mark and Joonas onto our team, we feel we've covered our bases in a couple of different areas.”

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger contributed to this report

Swayman, who can become a restricted free agent July 1, then went 25-10-8 with a 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage and three shutouts in 44 regular-season games (43 starts) this season. He was Boston's No. 1 goalie in the postseason, going 6-6 with a 2.15 GAA and .933 save percentage in 12 starts.

"It's always something that I've dreamt about, being a clear No. 1 and stuff like that and playing a lot of games,” Ullmark said. “I showed my skill level, obviously, a couple years ago and throughout my career as well. I feel like I've become better and better every single year. And obviously sometimes you're going to have a heck of a year, and then sometimes you're going to just have a good year or a great year, and I'm hoping for this season to come that it's going to be a great one."

Ullmark, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round (No. 163) of the 2012 NHL Draft, is 138-73-23 with a 2.51 GAA, .919 save percentage and eight shutouts in 247 regular-season games (238 starts) for the Sabres and Bruins. He is 3-6 with a 3.59 GAA and .887 save percentage in 10 playoff games (nine starts).

Ottawa's acquisition of Ullmark comes almost one year after it attempted to shore up its goaltending by signing Korpisalo to a five-year, $20 million contract ($4 million AAV) on July 2, 2023.

However, Korpisalo went 21-26-4 with a 3.27 GAA and .890 save percentage in 55 regular-season games (49 starts) this season. Anton Forsberg was 15-12-0 with a 3.21 GAA, .890 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 games (28 starts), and Mads Sogaard was 1-3-0 with a 4.05 GAA and .859 save percentage in six games (five starts).

Selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round (No. 62) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Korpisalo is 115-107-29 with a 3.06 GAA, .901 save percentage and four shutouts in 276 regular-season games (250 starts) for the Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Senators. The 30-year-old is 5-9 with a 2.59 GAA, .922 save percentage and two shutouts in 15 playoff games.

Kastelic had 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 63 games this season. The 25-year-old forward, who was selected by Ottawa in the fifth round (No. 125) of the 2019 NHL Draft, had 11 points (seven goals, four assists) and 102 penalty minutes in 65 games as a rookie last season.

The first-round pick acquired by the Bruins, which will be No. 25, originally belonged to Boston before it went to Ottawa as part of the trade that sent forward Alex DeBrincat from the Senators to the Detroit Red Wings on July 9, 2023.

Ottawa will retain 25 percent of Korpisalo's remaining salary.

"It played out that if we were acquiring Linus, we would have to move a goaltender to make that spot for him," Staois said. "We worked with a lot of teams on certain possibilities. I think when you look at the (Jacob) Markstrom deal (from the Calgary Flames to the New Jersey Devils) getting the market going on the goaltenders, just trying to stay on that and see what values were for them. When you look at all these guys, you look at not only the cap number but also the term. And we felt like it was an opportunity not only to bring in Linus, but to make some opportunity for us moving forward in that position."

NHL.com independent correspondent Callum Fraser contributed to this report