Report: Surprise Team "Kicked the Tires" On Linus Ullmark at Trade Deadline

 Linus Ullmark, still the reigning Vezina Trophy winner until a new champ is crowned in June, was the subject of some trade speculation at the deadline back in early March. The Boston Bruins, ultimately, decided to hang on to their dynamic duo of Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman for another playoff run. 

But word has emerged from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun that a somewhat surprising team was interested in possibly trading for Ullmark, and their interest might still be simmering: 

The (Ottawa) Senators kicked tires on Boston’s Linus Ullmark at the deadline and the expectation is the club will circle back.

Now, the fact that the Senators are looking to improve their goaltending situation shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, as both Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg struggled this season. 

 “I think they’re both better than what their numbers showed,” GM Steve Staios said. “They’re both incredibly hard workers, they’re diligent and I’m sure when we do our exit meetings a number of our players won’t be pleased with their seasons.

“They continue to work, they didn’t have the season that they probably expected, or we expected of them. They’re going to have to have good off-season to prepare for the start of next year.”

Korpisalo just signed a five-year, $20-million deal last summer. 

As for Ullmark, he still has one year left on his deal with a $5 million cap hit, so adding him could be difficult for the Sens, though the word is they'll revisit it this offseason. 

In the meantime, however, Ullmark is busy this spring trying to help lead the Bruins to a much better playoff performance than last year, when they were bounced in the first round. 

Photo: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports