NHL Executive Confirms Bruins Won't Trade These Key Players
PUBLICATION
Austin Sabourin
September 9, 2023 (5:30)
In the midst of swirling NHL trade rumors, it appears that Boston Bruins goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are firmly in the team's plans. An anonymous NHL executive source recently commented,
"I'd be shocked if the Bruins trade a goalie now."
This statement is somewhat surprising considering there was earlier interest in both Ullmark and Swayman during the offseason. However, no specific reasons have been given for the change in stance.
As the 2023 NHL offseason got underway and stretched into mid-July, Linus Ullmark's name was frequently mentioned in trade talks. The Bruins' General Manager, Don Sweeney, was exploring ways to create salary cap space, leaving Ullmark uncertain about his future for the 2023-24 season.
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"It's crossed my mind, yeah. I'm not going to lie. That's the business part of it. That's what we live in,"
Ullmark admitted during an interview in Nashville on June 26, just a day before receiving the 2023 Vezina Trophy.
"When you have two goalies that are so close when it comes to stats, there's likely to be some changes. Hopefully, we both want to stay in Boston because that's where we thrive, and you see the success that we've had. There's a personal side and a business side to it, and you've got to honor both as a professional hockey player."
Despite the trade speculation, Ullmark remained with the team. He still has two seasons remaining on his four-year, $20 million contract with a $5 million cap hit.
Instead of trading Ullmark, the Bruins opted to make moves in the NHL trade market involving other players. They traded veteran winger Taylor Hall (who has two years left with a $6 million cap hit) and the rights to unrestricted free agent-to-be winger Nick Foligno in exchange for defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula.
Ullmark's exceptional performance during the season, leading the NHL in wins (40), goals-against average (1.89), and save percentage (.938), marked him as one of the league's top goaltenders. He became only the eighth goalie in NHL history to achieve this impressive feat, the first since Carey Price did it in 2014-15. Alongside Jeremy Swayman, they formed the NHL's best goaltending duo, allowing the fewest goals in the league and earning the Jennings Trophy.
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| POLL |
9 SEPTEMBRE | 135 ANSWERS NHL Executive Confirms Bruins Won't Trade These Key Players Do you think the Boston Bruins will trade goalies Linus Ullmark or Jeremy Swayman in the near future? |
| Yes | 63 | 46.7 % |
| No | 72 | 53.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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