NHL Executive States The Bruins Aren't Trading One Of These Players

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Hunter Bowman
September 9, 2023 (5:26)

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Amidst the buzzing NHL trade rumors, it seems Boston Bruins goalies Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are here to stay. An anonymous NHL executive source expressed,

"I'd be shocked if the Bruins trade a goalie now."

This statement comes from a team that had shown interest in both goalies earlier in the offseason, but they're not giving any reasons for not pursuing Ullmark or Swayman further.

As the 2023 NHL offseason kicked off and rolled into mid-July, Linus Ullmark's name was frequently tossed around in trade discussions. Boston Bruins' General Manager Don Sweeney was exploring various avenues to create salary cap space. Ullmark himself couldn't help but wonder where he might be playing in the 2023-24 season.

"It's crossed my mind, yeah. I'm not going to lie. That's the business part of it. That's what we live in,"

Ullmark shared with the media in Nashville on June 26, just a day before winning the 2023 Vezina Trophy.

"When you have two goalies that are so close when it comes to stat-wise, there's got to be some changes probably. And hopefully, like I think, for both of us, that we both want to be together and we want to stay in Boston because that's where we thrive, and you see the success that we've had. You know, there's a personal side to it, and there's a business side to it, and you've got to honor it. That's just how being a professional hockey player is."

The following day, Sweeney did make moves on the NHL trade market, but it didn't involve trading Ullmark. Ullmark still has two seasons left on his four-year, $20 million contract with a $5 million cap hit.

Instead, the Bruins traded veteran winger Taylor Hall (two years left with a $6 million cap hit) and the rights to unrestricted free agent-to-be winger Nick Foligno in exchange for defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula.

Ullmark had an outstanding season, leading the NHL in wins (40), goals-against average (1.89), and save percentage (.938). This made him just the eighth goalie in NHL history to achieve this remarkable feat and the first since Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price did it in 2014-15. Alongside Jeremy Swayman, they formed the NHL's best goaltending tandem, allowing the fewest goals in the league and earning the Jennings Trophy.

Source: Bostonhockeynow