Linus Ullmark Trade Evaluation of Early Returns by Bruins-Senators Team.

Linus Ullmark trade: Assessing Early Returns between Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators originally appeared on NBC Sports BostonIt may still be too soon to declare a clear victor in the Linus Ullmark deal between Boston and Ottawa Senators that occurred back in June. Though Thanksgiving has yet to pass, Ullmark will start in his return game for Boston Saturday night; therefore it makes an ideal time to assess early returns of this trade involving Ullmark as part of it. Ullmark himself was at the core of it all, being acquired at such a bargain price from Dallas earlier in 2016. The trade allowed the Bruins to create salary cap space while simultaneously positioning Jeremy Swayman to become Boston’s uncontested No.1 goalie. Ottawa Senators required an upgrade in goal after poor goaltending thwarted their playoff chances last season. Ottawa quickly committed long term to Ullmark by inking him with a four-year, $33 Million contract extension shortly before regular season began. This contract places him among the top ten highest-paid goalies in the league and so far, they have seen no real dividend from it. Ullmark was unable to significantly contribute to his team during the opening month of this campaign, going 2-4-0 with an.892 save percentage and 3.02 goals against average. MoneyPuck ranks him 62nd out of all qualifying goalies for goaltending duties. Ullmark made his most recent start Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres and allowed five goals on 34 shots for a 5-1 loss. Although early season numbers should improve significantly for Ullmark, his early impact has not been positive overall for Ottawa. And the Senators hope an improvement comes quickly as they entered Saturday with an atrocious record 6-7-0 and were seventh out of eight Atlantic Division teams. Meanwhile, Boston acquired veteran goaltender Joonas Korpisalo through the Ullmark deal and are hoping he helps their cause quickly. His inclusion was widely criticized by fans and media alike due to his struggles in Ottawa as well as length and salary of his contract; yet this Finnish netminder deserves much credit for all that they’ve achieved during this period of uncertainty for our team. Korpisalo has had a solid debut season thus far, posting a 3-2-0 record with an excellent save percentage and GAA ratio (2.72 in five starts). Of particular note is his incredible 84 save percentage from 90 total shots faced – that equates to 933! Korpisalo has proven himself reliable as Swayman’s backup, fulfilling this role to date. Overall, Mark Kastelic’s addition has been the star performer from this trade deal for Boston so far. Experienced forward Mark Kastlic has comfortably taken to his role as Boston’s fourth-line center, becoming one of their most productive players – scoring three goals with four assists over 15 appearances. As one of only six Bruins with more than two goals scored and seven total points on the team, Kastelic stands fifth overall and ranks second for faceoff win percentage with 55 percent victory rate – second only behind Zdeno Chara (55 percent). Last season, the Bruins finished 21st in faceoff win percentage; under Kastelic’s leadership on draws they’ve improved to 11th. Finally, as part of Ullmark trade deal they also received 25th overall pick in first round 2024 NHL Draft. The Bruins used their selection to take center Dean Letourneau from Boston College; currently in his freshman season he currently boasts two assists in six games for BC and had recently been selected by them in round 25 of NHL draft. Letourneau will become part of their core center depth at some point this season. Letourneau has taken extensive reps as the third-line center on an Eagles roster that currently stands No. 2 nationally with 5-1-0 record entering Saturday. At 6-foot-7 and playing power forward style game. He’s an offensively gifted player who wins faceoffs and plays physically in all three zones – so much so that comparisons with Sabres star Tage Thompson have arisen. Since he is so young and his potential remains to be fully assessed by Bruins fans, Letourneau might take some time before competing for an NHL roster spot himself. It will probably take longer for Letourneau and Ullmark trade evaluation to become clear. He may only be 18 years old, but already the trade seems beneficial for Boston Bruins: Korpisalo has played well and Kastelic is making an impressionful showing as part of their bottom six unit. Meanwhile, Senators might miss playoffs again this season should Ullmark continue struggling – this would mark eight straight missed post-season appearances by them!