Linus Ullmark - Death knell of the Dorion/Melnyk era

[Silky Johnson]

Linus Ullmark came into Ottawa with some pretty high expectations being two years removed from his Vezina run. Question marks were still there. Was he a product of the Bruins system? Is Ottawa truly a goalie graveyard?

He started the season off with big 3-1 win against the Florida but had a bit of a rough October/November after missing some time with a strain. Speculation was that he was still off a bit from the injury.

Since he has put up a ridiculous December going so far 6-0-1 with a 1.13 GA & a .962 SV%. His season totals are now top 8 in the league with a 2.39 GA and .915 SV%. A team with a goalie putting up these numbers is usually a perennial playoff team.

The eye test shows me that Linus is an elite goaltender, with a solid mental game & a great team mate. You can see clearly the confidence he brings the team with him in nets.

He is now signed in Ottawa for the next 4 years @ 8.25M

After a bunch of flop signings/trades under Dorion (Duchesne, Chychrun, Debrincat, Murray ect) is this a sign that the new Senators regime is doing things right? Has/will he answer the question marks coming into the season?

Is he (one of) the guy to help take the Dorion/Melnyck stink of the Ottawa Senators organisation.

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[NyQuil]

Long way to go.

 

[WeaponOfChoice]

Part of me hopes not.

 

[dirtydanglez]

no there is still a losing culture in ottawa but solid goaltending leading the sens to a playoff spot would be a massive accomplishment for the organization.

 

[inthewings]

Staios and his staff seem to have had a very productive offseason. I don't know whether its going to be good enough to allow this core to contend for a championship, but they pushed a lot of the right buttons:

- Ullmark trade and extension looks like a fantastic move
- Green looks like a very solid hire. Going to be a Jack Adams finalist if the team sneaks into a playoff spot.
- Identifying that Nick Jensen filled an area of need, and then pulling the trigger even though Chychrun has more name value was bold, and looks like a very good decision.
- Amadio has been a very effective 3rd liner, and has performed well while given mostly D-zone starts
- Gaudette has been an improbable source of secondary offense for close to the minimum

Only real misfire so fire is Perron, but there's time to turn that around. It's refreshing to see the team string together so many quality moves.

They had to perfectly thread the needle to squeeze some competitive seasons out of the mess Dorion left behind. Maybe there's a chance they actually do it?

 

[RickyLafleur]

So far so good.

 

[HockeyVirus]

I have never been sold on Ullmark. I am not surprised he put together a great stretch he has done that before. Check his playoff stats. He is not solid mentally.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Ullmark is good, it's not a fluke. He was good in Buffalo on a terrible team, was good in Boston on an elite team, now good in Ottawa on a bubble team. The sample size is large enough at this point.

 

[RiverbottomChuck]

His hips are shot but but as long as it holds up he is a fantastic goalie and an even better teammate.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Long way to go.

Sure, but what are the landmarks along the way?

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I guess we’ll see. There’s still plenty of time for the wheels to fall off.

 

[NyQuil]

Sure, but what are the landmarks along the way?

Everyone has a different threshold.

Personally, I’m waiting for our record against good competition after our 9 game road trip.

If Ullmark is still going strong and healthy and we played decently away from Ottawa for that long, it’s a good sign.

 

[Ladyfan]

I love Linus! I am happy he is playing well. He is a great guy and teammate.

 

[Fatass]

It’s nice to see one of those four perennial division bottom feeders chasing down the top four. Ulmark looks like he was a key addition. He makes big saves at key moments.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Ullmark is a great player. Most players acquired by Dorion are garbage, no comparison there.

 

[Golden_Jet]

no there is still a losing culture in ottawa but solid goaltending leading the sens to a playoff spot would be a massive accomplishment for the organization.

Why do you say there is a losing culture, it’s not like you’re around the team.

 

[Pavels Dog]

Only concern would be how much he can play. They've lost 4 out Forsberg's last 5 games, and Ullmark has started 7 out of 8 in December.