Linus Ullmark
Linus Ullmark will not be back with the Bruins next season. There, I said it. One half of the best goaltending tandem in the NHL, a Vezina Trophy winner in his time with the Bruins and winning the Jennings Trophy alongside Jeremy Swayman in 2022-2023 will not be back next season.
Normally, that would be a foolish decision. With the Bruins' almost embarrassment of riches between the pipes in the NHL and in the AHL, it's a move that is an easier pill to swallow for Don Sweeney and company by trading Ullmark as 2024-2025 will be the last year of his current contract.
Sweeney did say in an ideal world Ullmark remains, but with Swayman deserving a lot of money with his next contract due this offseason, it's not feasible to carry two goalies that combine to make something around $11 or $12 million, assuming Swayman gets $6 or $7 million annually in his next contract.
This is by no means a performance issue by Ullmark. He's earned every bit of the $5 million he makes annually. However, with Swayman becoming the clear cut number one this postseason and both Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro deserving of chances in the NHL thanks to fantastic seasons in Providence, Ullmark is expendable.
It is very likely that Ullmark's no trade clause comes into play, as he has a 15 team no trade list in 2024-2025. It seems like a given he'll exercise his clause to quash a trade to a team on his list, but if the Bruins can find a deal they like with a team not on the list, Ullmark wouldn't have a choice in the matter.
Yes, Ullmark has a year left on his deal and some no trade protection. But the Bruins could be motivated to trade him if the Swayman contract becomes steep and they need the cap flexibility to add more weapons to the offense. If the Bruins keep Ullmark and become a better scoring team, great! But with the rise of Swayman and the team needing to improve offensively, Ullmark is no longer a necessity on this team.