Insider Reports ‘Tension’ Between Ullmark & Senators as Controversy Swirls

The Ottawa Senators' strange season has reached a boiling point. Goaltender Linus Ullmark took a 'personal leave' on December 28th, and some ugly rumors have now started spreading online about what's behind it. Senators GM Steve Staios even released a controversial statement Thursday night to deny the rumors, but that did absolutely nothing to calm the situation. In fact, many say it made it worse.

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has revealed on The Sheet on Friday that there's something fishy going on behind the scenes, whatever it is, and that Ullmark's name has been bandied about on the trade rumor mill.

I’ve heard this even prior to when he went on personal leave: There’s been a little tension with respect to his relationship with the club. I don’t know the specifics… But I had heard that maybe the relationship has been strained a little bit. And checking with other clubs: his name is out there... it’s been swirling around for the past few weeks.

Whether or not that has had anything to do with Ullmark's personal leave, or even the claims making the rounds online that he was at the center of a scandal involving Senators players cheating on their wives, is unknown, and certainly unsubstantiated.

The Senators' statement, which refered to "ridiculous speculation that has spread online," while calling it "completely fabricated" and "disgusting," didn't do anything to help the team focus on the ice Thursday night, as evidenced by their 8-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Other reactions around the league to Staios's statement:

Elliotte Friedman, 32 Thoughts Podcast: "I had some conversations with people who said, 'They shouldn't have done it. They should have ignored it. Now they just give it more credence, they give it more air, and allow it to become a talking point'... If I'm a player on the Ottawa Senators, and I'm named there (in the accusations online and then in the statement), I am walking into the organization and I'm saying, 'Get me out of here.'"

Chris Johnston, The Chris Johnston Show: "The thing that I can't get my mind around fully, is why they put out the statement they did. Because I'll tell you right now, we wouldn't be talking about this on our podcast if there was no statement."

Jeff Marek, The Sheet: "There's a phrase, The Streisand Effect, which means essentially bringing attention to something that otherwise would have flown under the radar... The whole thing just feels strange... Players hear crazy rumors all the time; Why did this one rise to that level (of putting out a statement), while others don't?"

We certainly haven't heard the last of this Ullmark story.

Meanwhile, the goaltender remains on a leave of absence. His last appearance in a game was Dec. 27th, when he was pulled after allowing four goals in 14 shots against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ullmark has an .881 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this season, with a 14-8-5 mark.

In combination with all of this, the Senators have signed veteran free agent netminder James Reimer to an AHL PTO.