32 Teams, 32 Players: Linus Ullmark

The Ottawa Senators re-signed new starting goalie Linus Ullmark to a long-term contract extension just before the season begins.

Now that the 2024-25 NHL season has arrived we are going to highlight one player on each team that stands out for the season. What kind of player? Well, a player that could make a difference, be an X-factor, be on the verge of a breakout, or just simply be a player under the microscope and needing to have a big season.

Basically — which player do I think is the most fascinating on each team.

We are not going in any particularly order and continue today with Linus Ullmark of the Ottawa Senators.

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My plan for the Senators all along was to make Ullmark their focal point in this series, but they convinced me to write about him today by signing him to a new four-year contract extension worth $8.25 million per season (which, oddly enough, is the exact same salary cap number that Jeremy Swayman, his former Boston teammate, just signed for with the Bruins).

This kind of surprises me because I was not convinced he was going to re-sign there, and that this whole thing was just going to be a one-year arrangement before he left in free agency to a better team.

But they made him one of the highest paid goalies in the league, and nothing speaks more in sports than money.

The Senators acquired him from the Boston Bruins over the summer, giving up a first-round pick, forward Mark Kastelic and dumping Joonas Korpisalo’s remaining contract on the Bruins.

Overall, it was a no-brainer trade for multiple reasons.

For one, they badly needed a goalie and Ullmark is not only a pretty good one, but getting him also weakened a divisional rival. That makes it a double win.

The price was also perfect. It did not cost them any significant assets (a late first-round pick does not move the needle for me), and also allowed them to dump arguably their worst contract in Korpisalo on the Bruins. With his money coming off the books, and Ullmark being eligible for unrestricted free agency after this season, it created some serious future salary cap flexibility.

The Senators decided to use that flexibility by paying Ullmark even more money in the years ahead.

Will it be worth it?

Let’s talk about it.