Goalie Hugs are no more in the city of Boston. The time has finally come, as general manager Don Sweeney has traded away goaltender Linus Ullmark. Ullmark waived his no-movement clause to go to the Ottawa Senators. In return, the Bruins received goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round draft pick.
Originally it was reported by Bruce Garrioch that it could take a first-round draft pick and defenseman Jakob Chychrun to acquire Ullmark (from ‘Garrioch: Senators likely will take another run at Boston’s Linus Ullmark in the off-season,’ Ottawa Citizen, 5/23/24). That certainly was not the case entirely and the return for Ullmark is official. On the surface, it could seem underwhelming. So let’s take a deeper dive into the pieces coming to Boston and how they can impact the club in the foreseeable future.
One Goalie Out, Another One In
One of the biggest pieces in the trade was adding another goaltender to the fold. The biggest key to the deal is that the Senators are retaining 25% of the contract, so the Bruins are only on the hook for $3 million per season. After being able to shed Ullmark and his cap hit, they manage to only save $2 million on the books. That’s the head-scratcher right there.
Related: Bruins Trade Ullmark to the Senators…Get Korpisalo & 1st Round Pick Back
It has not been all bad for Korpisalo. He has been able to string good seasons together while playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. There was room for optimism regarding Korpisalo, which is why the Senators took a chance on giving him a lucrative contract. During the 2022-23 season, he wasn’t playing badly in front of what was not a strong defensive team in the Blue Jackets. He had a 3.17 goals-against average (GAA) but a .911 save percentage (SV%). Once he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, he saw his numbers improve. In a small sample size of 11 games, he saw his GAA lower to 2.13 and his SV% rise to .921. In addition, his goals saved above expected was 12.7, which was a career-best.
Once the move was made to the Senators, it was a disaster and was not what the front office had in mind. Korpisalo finished with the second worst goals saved above expected (minus-16.1), while also boasting a .890 SV% and 3.27 GAA. In fact, Korpisalo has only finished with a positive goals saved above expected just twice in his entire career (2015-16, 2022-23). That’s not necessarily a good sign. So why would Sweeney take a gamble on Korpisalo, even with the Senators retaining money?
There is something to be said about the development of goaltenders in the Bruins’ system. For example, during the summer of 2018, they took a chance on signing goaltender Jaroslav Halak. He was coming off a dreadful season with the New York Islanders. During the 2017-18 season, he finished with a 3.22 GAA, and a .908 SV%, but a subpar minus-14.8 goals saved above expected. Once he signed with the Bruins, he saw his numbers rise and led all Bruins goalies with 11.2 goals saved above expected. It was an immediate turnaround.
The same can be said for Ullmark. He was never a bad goaltender with the Buffalo Sabres, but immediately turned things around with the Bruins and became a Vezina Trophy winner. The biggest key regarding Korpisalo is his 2022-23 stint showed how good he can be with a strong team in front of him. The Kings have a structured defense much like the Bruins. With a stronger presence in front and working with goalie coach Bob Essensa, there is reason to believe that Korpisalo can turn things around. But at first glance, parting with a Vezina Trophy-winning goalie for what was statistically one of the worst goalies is puzzling.
Adding Extra Toughness
The Bruins have tried to bring back the “Big Bad Bruins” attitude. Adding grit and physicality to the lineup is part of the identity that the club wants to try and build. They made good on that identity during the 2023-24 season by adding Justin Brazeau and acquiring veteran forward Pat Maroon at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Wild. There is a good chance that Maroon will leave the team in free agency, but the Bruins made sure to add to that identity in this trade.
Kastelic is a younger player, which is great for the Bruins getting younger guys into the lineup. Also, he brings that element of toughness. He is a big player standing at 6-foot-3. He uses his big frame to his advantage and brings an element of speed to pair with his size. What he does best embodies what the Bruins love the most.
Kastelic is a physical player and is unafraid to throw hits and finish his checks. He finished fifth on the Senators with 126 hits. Also, he is a tough customer and is not afraid to drop the gloves and stick up for his teammates. He sounds like the perfect player to represent the Spoked B and wear the rhetorical Black and Gold. Aside from the toughness aspect, there is an element to his game that is a boost for the Bruins.
There was a glaring issue when it came to faceoffs during the postseason. One thing that Kastelic excelled at during the 2023-24 regular season was his ability to win faceoffs. He finished the season with a 54.4% success rate, which is huge. He is a good player to build the bottom six around and brings added depth to the Bruins’ lineup.
Getting Back Into the First Round
The Bruins now have a draft pick before the fourth round. Ironically, this draft pick (25th overall) originally belonged to the Bruins. During the 2022-23 season, they traded it to the Detroit Red Wings to acquire Tyler Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi ended up being a great addition for the Bruins, as they went all-in on a quest for the Stanley Cup.
The draft pick made its way through the division, as the Red Wings traded it to the Senators to acquire winger Alex DeBrincat, who has become a key part of what they are building in Detroit. Now, the pick makes its way back to Boston.
This is great for Sweeney, as he now has a draft pick in the first round. It’ll be huge for him to make a great selection, as the team does not have a pick until the fourth round. Getting back into the first round was huge in this trade as the Bruins can now restock the prospect pool.
The Return For Ullmark
The trade is official and the two teams now know what they are receiving. The Senators are getting a true number-one goalie, which is something they’ve been looking for. As for the Bruins, they got three pieces in the trade. With the pieces in place, we will see how it transpires. Can Korpisalo bounce back? What depth will Kastelic bring? Who will the Bruins select with the draft pick? It all remains to be seen before anyone judges who won the trade.
