READ MORE: The Good and the Bad for the Early Season Senators
Linus Ullmark came to the Ottawa Senators in a 2024 off-season trade that sent Mark Kastelic, Joonas Korpisalo and first round pick to the Boston Bruins. During his four seasons with the Bruins, he posted a .924 SV% across 130 games, and won the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy. No goalie with at least five starts during that time-frame had a higher SV%. With the Senators, his SV% is .901 through 53 games. So, what’s gone wrong, and what can be expected of Linus Ullmark as the season progresses? Let’s dive into the details.
Ullmark’s Contract
Problem number one- Ullmark’s new four year contract, paying him $8.25 million per season, kicked in at the start of this season. Exluding Carey Price, that ties Ullmark for the fifth highest salary amongst goaltenders. Here is who he is tied with:
- Jeremy Swayman, Jake Oettinger, and Ilya Sorkin
Also close to his salary are Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros. Basically, these are the guys that are supposed to be competing for Vezina Trophies. It’s one thing to be struggling with a $5 million salary. When you’re making high end goalie money, the pressure is firmly on to consistently play well.
Ullmark By the Numbers
Here are Ullmark’s stats from last year, this year, and combined:
- Last season: 25-14-3, 2.70 GAA, .910 SV%
- This season: 4-4-1, 3.44 GAA, .858 SV%
- Combined: 29-18-4, 2.85 GAA, .901 SV%
These numbers are way off his Bruins stats. They’re simply not even close to good enough. Among goalies with at least 20 starts, he ranks 27th in SV%. This season, among all goalies, his .858 SV% ranks 58th. Last season, he had the one great month of December. Beyond that, he was either injured, or just so-so.
Final Thoughts
It’s still early. That seems to be what can be said about any problems in the months of September and October. A few good starts and his numbers will look passable. Here are the concerns, though:
- The Senators have a backup goalie concern, with Leevi Merilainen not having a good start to the season.
- Ullmark has never played more than 49 games in a season. He needs to play more than that as an $8.25 million goalie. That would mean playing better, and staying healthy.
- Already this season, he has had five brutal games statistically. In those five games, his SV% was .880 or below in every game. That isn’t just mediocre play, that’s the type of play that makes it just about impossible for the team to win.
In Ullmark’s last season with the Bruins, he averaged around 30 shots against per 60 minutes. That’s pretty much the same amount as last season with the Senators. This season, the number is even lower, at closer to 24. This isn’t the case of a goalie being left out to dry. On top of that, Ullmark is paid at a high enough amount that he can’t just be making the saves he’s supposed to make. He needs to stop some of the high danger chances, too. He can’t just be okay in his wins, he needs to steal a few games. Sure, his struggles thus far can be seen as early season issues. We’re heading to November, though. That won’t be an excuse for much longer.
