When the Boston Bruins traded goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, the return at the time was a lot of unknowns. In the overall big picture, the return was not as much as Bruins fans would have liked for the former Vezina Trophy-winning netminder.
Coming back to Boston were goalie Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and a first-round draft pick. After one season following the deal, Korpisalo had a better season than a lot of people thought he would in limited playing time, and Kaastelic slid into the Black and Gold’s lineup and was part of what turned out to be one of the better lines for the Bruins early in the season.
Mark Kastelic’s Performance
The Bruins struggled early in the season, but one of their better lines was their fourth line, which came up with some big goals early in the season. Kastelic, John Beecher, and Cole Koepke brought energy and scored some big goals. Of course, it was only going to last so long before they came crashing back to earth.
Kastelic proved to be a nice little addition in the trade for the Black and Gold. In 61 games before suffering an injury that cost him the last month of the season. Regardless, he played better than Boston had hoped and finished with five goals and nine assists. A tough presence in the lineup, he plays the way that wins over Bruins fans.
Mark Kastelic Moving Forward
Kastelic is going to be a staple in the Bruins' lineup for the next couple of seasons after inking a three-year contract extension in January for $4.7 million with an AAV of $1.56 million. That is a team-friendly deal if we’re being honest and a great deal for general manager Don Sweeney to hammer out.
There are going to be some big roster subtractions and additions this summer as Sweeney has a huge offseason ahead of him in terms of putting together a roster that will be back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season. One area where a makeover is needed is with the bottom-six, but Kastelic is locked in for the fourth line and will be a big part of what the Bruins do. Hopefully, health won't become an issue.