Confirmed with Link: Linus Ullmark Traded to Senators

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TCB

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Boy, this is a tough one. Less than a week after the Calgary Flames traded Jacob Markstrom — who, mind you, has a full no-movement clause — to New Jersey for a first-rounder and defenseman Kevin Bahl, the Bruins traded a younger goaltender in Ullmark with better numbers, far less trade protection, and a Vezina Trophy win to his name for a demonstrably worse return.


While, yes, the Bruins did receive a first-round pick in this trade — their own 2024 pick, coincidentally — they had to take on the final four years of Joonas Korpisalo’s contract to get it. The Senators were kind enough to retain a quarter of Korpisalo’s cap hit, but that doesn’t change the fact that Boston now has the goaltender who saved the fewest goals above expected in 2023-24 (per Evolving-Hockey) on their payroll at a relatively hefty $3 million cap charge until 2028.


As mentioned, Ullmark has posted at least a .915 save percentage in five consecutive seasons. Korpisalo hasn’t reached that mark in the last eight. He’s posted some of the worst numbers in the league in three of the last four seasons, with the lone exception being 2022-23, in which he went 18-14-4 with a .914 in 39 games split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and L.A. Kings. His save percentages in the other three years of that four-year stretch? .894, .877, and .890. Yeesh.

Considering the term remaining on Korpisalo’s deal — and the extent to which he hampered Ottawa’s attempts at competing for a playoff spot last year — it feels like the Senators should’ve needed to attach a first-round pick just to move him. Even with the caveat that buying out Korpisalo would cost relatively little, it boggles the mind that Boston took him off Ottawa’s hands seemingly without any additional compensation.


Was the market for Ullmark really that thin? Were there no offers out there that involved a first-round pick without the Bruins needing to take on a heavily problematic contract? It just feels like a bizarre misstep on Boston’s part to move someone like Ullmark for a return in which the value of a first-round pick is essentially negated by the inclusion of a deal like Korpisalo’s. When the Arizona Coyotes traded the final year of Darcy Kuemper‘s contract to the Colorado Avalanche three years ago, they didn’t have to take on any bad money to extract a first-rounder, and neither did Calgary in the Markstrom trade.
 
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Gonzothe7thDman

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Yea but what that article doesn’t mention is Korpisalo could be rehabbed into a backup goaltender. Then the bruins don’t have to worry about that role for a couple years.

Also did they forget we could also draft another Pastrnak at 25?!?!

Such a low effort hit piece on Sweeney.

Very unfair to attack him without knowing what these shitty pieces may or may not become
 

NDiesel

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As mentioned, Ullmark has posted at least a .915 save percentage in five consecutive seasons. Korpisalo hasn’t reached that mark in the last eight.


L
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A tad disingenuous...he was .001 below that number just last season. Unsurprisingly that was during a season where he played well on a Kings team who had some actual defense in front of him.
 

Sevendust

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I don't know what is worse. The trade itself or people defending it.

I cannot get over anyone trying to defend this.

We ALL want Korpisalo do well if he is a Bruin.

But that does not change the fact that this will always be a horrible trade that the Bruins epically lost. It's all about asset management.

The bruins had an asset. a Vezina winning asset.
They traded that for a negative asset in Korpisalo which should have been packaged with a late first to shed the contract and a fourth liner. Is that smart business? Is that how you build a team?

So separate if Korpisalo finds his game, if he turns into a Vezina candidate, if he gets a shutout. We're all pulling for the Bruins to succeed. Doesn't change the fact they should have gotten more (or in this case less is more. There would have been a lot less outrage if it was just 25OA and Kastelic, further highlighting the negative value in Korpisalo and the disparity in value with this trade)

This 100 %
 

Sevendust

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It seems that Sweeney wanted to have a first round pick in the upcoming draft no matter what. Thats the only explanation I can come up with. The thing is, if he would have gotten the 7th overall pick or an decent player/blueship prospect I would have been ok with taking on that anchor of an contract
 

Beesfan

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Haha. When I read the news break two hours ago I saw that it was a 2024 BOS 1st Rd pick and I thought we were sending the pick in this trade, which would make the trade a journeyman center and a lesser goaltender making 66% the money for Ullmark and a BOS 1st. I thought it was literally the worst trade in the history of professional sports.

Now that I see that the BOS 1st is our pick coming back to us, this looks miles better in comparison. Given the restrictions on Ullmark, I'll call this trade a draw. Certainly better than what I thought it was.
 

HumBucker

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Don’t really care about the Korpisalo element. We have Swayman and Bussi. Goaltending is the least of our problems. We need help up front. If the warm body and the pick end up doing that, while creating cap space, okay. The success of this trade will be determined by what the 1st round pick develops into.
 
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EverettMike

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If you wouldn’t mind since I am really going through it this morning, can you please lay out the scenario where Korpisalo is moved elsewhere by Boston as part of some master plan that makes everything make sense?

If they package him with the 25th pick I think they can get a team to bite. They'll probably have to retain 50% though.
 

McGarnagle

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Korpisalo just makes no sense at that money and I'd almost rather have just kept Ullmark.

I do like Kastelic (trying to separate him as a player from the trade he was acquired in), and we needed a first round pick. It's Korpisalo that ruins the deal.

But it is what it is and you can't change it. Hopefully they draft well at 25, hopefully Kastelic solidifies the forth line, hopefully Korpisalo is either traded or settles into a productive backup role.
 
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Gonzothe7thDman

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If they package him with the 25th pick I think they can get a team to bite. They'll probably have to retain 50% though.


Ok ok so they retain 50% of 3m and dump Korpisalo and the 1st for probably future considerations to get out from under that contract.

So they have 1.5m in dead cap for 4 years.

And all it cost was Ullmark?
 
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