Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark has been the subject of trade chatter since the offseason, and that has carried over to the 2023-24 regular season. One team in particular, which many have speculated could look to add the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, is the Edmonton Oilers. It is entirely understandable, as the Oilers have had a nightmare start to the 2023-24 campaign, and goaltending has been their biggest issue. Jack Campbell was recently sent down to the American Hockey League (AHL) for his poor play, while Stuart Skinner has not been much better.
Although the Oilers looking to add Ullmark would make sense, from a Bruins standpoint, Edmonton would not be an ideal trading partner for them. Let’s dive now into a few reasons why a potential move between the Bruins and Oilers is very unlikely.
Oilers Do Not Offer What Bruins Need
First and foremost, the Oilers do not have the best top-six center options available to snag. While superstar Leon Draisaitl was recently mentioned in a proposed trade idea by ESPN’s John Buccigross, it’s incredibly unlikely that the Oilers would move him. Trading away one of the best players in the sport would only create another massive hole in their lineup. With that, the Bruins would need to give up much more than just Ullmark in a potential swap. That is not ideal for a team looking to strengthen their depth and future.
Related: Anchor Proposes Jaw-Dropping Bruins & Oilers Blockbuster Trade
After Draisaitl, the Bruins’ options would be very limited. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a good player who just had a 104-point season, but he has never produced at a rate anywhere close to that in his previous 12 seasons. With that, he is not necessarily somebody who works as a first-line center on a contender but rather as a second-line forward. It is also incredibly unlikely that RNH would accept a trade to Boston, either, as he has a full no-movement clause (NMC) until the end of the 2028-29 campaign. The 2011 first-overall pick is likely to be an Oiler for life.
After RNH, none of the Oilers’ center options are worth moving their 1A netminder for. 2020 first-round pick Dylan Holloway has potential, but he is far from established at the NHL level. Sam Gagner and Derek Ryan are veteran bottom-six guys who would not make the Bruins better. Meanwhile, the Oilers’ do not have a big-time center prospect in their system, so in the end, the Bruins would not get what they need from Edmonton in a potential Ullmark trade.
Ullmark Likely Has Oilers On No-Trade List
For the first two seasons of his contract, Ullmark had a full NMC. Yet, that changed at the start of this season, as he now has a 16-team no-trade list. While this change does open the door for the Bruins to move him more freely, they still can’t move him to half of the NHL’s team. Boston Hockey Now’s Jimmy Murphy recently wrote that “based on conversations with numerous NHL insiders,” it is likely that the Oilers are on Ullmark’s no-trade list.
Hearing that the Oilers are likely on Ullmark’s no-trade list is not particularly surprising. NHL players have often put Canadian teams on their no-trade lists in recent years. With that, the Oilers’ current situation is brutal, and Ullmark would have a plethora of pressure to try to turn things around for them if dealt there. Thus, it’s very hard to imagine that he would be willing to leave his excellent situation in Boston to head to Edmonton during their chaos.
Goaltending Is the Backbone of Bruins
Lastly, at this point, it would be surprising if the Bruins decided to trade Ullmark to any team this season. While he picked up steam as a trade candidate during the offseason, he still remains a Bruin, and it was the right call by management. The Bruins’ strongest part of their roster is their goaltending, and they arguably sport the best tandem in the league right now. Why would they break that up?
The Bruins have had an immense amount of success early on this season (11-1-2 record), and goaltending has been the primary reason why. Both Ullmark and Swayman have been outstanding during this campaign. This has been crucial for the Bruins, as their offense notably took a big hit during the summer, as they lost Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Taylor Hall, and more. However, the Ullmark/Swayman tandem, along with their defense, has allowed them to remain one of the NHL’s top teams early on this season.
Alas, in the end, it is remarkably unlikely that the Bruins and Oilers will come together and strike a Ullmark trade this season. The Oilers do not have what the Bruins need, while Ullmark would be unlikely to accept a move to Edmonton. The Oilers will need to solve their goalie crisis somewhere else.