Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark addresses trade rumors.
After a very strong season in Boston, Ullmark's name has surfaced as a potential trade candidate in the rumor mill.
The bond between Boston Bruins goaltenders Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark played a large part in leading the team to an unprecedented level of success in the regular season, but it could also prove to be the reason the pair are forced to split.
In a perfect world the Bruins would love to see their tandem return for another season, but the economic realities of the National Hockey League's salary cap have led to much speculation regarding a possible trade coming from the Bruins between the pipes.
On Sunday, Ullmark was in Nashville ahead of the NHL Awards and he made himself available to the media where he faced some tough questions about his future in Boston. It was during those question that Ullmark acknowledged that he had considered the possibility that he could be moved this summer.
“It’s crossed my mind, yeah. I mean, I’m not going to lie, that’s the business part of it,” Ullmark said as per the Boston Globe. “That’s what we live in.”
Motivating the potential trade here is the raise that Swayman is set to receive this summer, one that will assuredly be a large increase on the $925,000 he earned last season. Swayman has played out the final year of his entry-level contract and although he remains a restricted free agent he is expected to cash in big time after his performance last season.
Ullmark will have a considerable amount of control over his fate should the Bruins make the decision to trade him. The Swedish netminder has a 16 team no trade list built into his contract this season, something that will greatly limit the potential trade partners the Bruins would have to make such a deal.