Insider reveals why the Bruins decided to trade Linus Ullmark before July 1st

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Cooper Godin
September 14, 2024 (11:30)

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An insider revealed recently why the Boston Bruins decided to trade goaltender Linus Ullmark before July 1st.

The Boston Bruins had a big decision to make with their goaltending this summer and while it was widely expected that they'd go with Jeremy Swayman as their starter as of next season, no one could have predicted the team trading Linus Ullmark as quickly as they did.

Shortly before puck drop on Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 24th, the Boston Bruins traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators for a package that included Joonas Korpisalo and a 2024 first-round pick.

On Friday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman spoke about Boston's decision to move on from Linus Ullmark so quickly and it all came down to one reason - his ability to change his no-trade list.

Friedman said that the reason why the Boston Bruins wanted to deal with Linus Ullmark's situation before signing Jeremy Swayman, who remains an RFA as of Friday, was because the Swedish netminder was able to change the teams on his not-trade list on Canada Day.

Going to the Ottawa Senators gives Linus Ullmark a new challenge - to help them return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. No disrespect to the goaltenders Ottawa has had in recent years, but they've been lacking a true starter since they moved on from Craig Anderson and Linus Ullmark has the ability to be that guy they've been searching for. Ullmark will also be handed the starting duties right out of the gate and won't have to deal with a 1A/1B situation anymore.

With Boston's training camp set to open next week, like every other team around the National Hockey League, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney has plenty of work to do to get Jeremy Swayman under contract and to avoid starting the season with a tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi.