Division rival emerges as frontrunner for Linus Ullmark

One of the more intriguing storylines for the offseason plans of the Boston Bruins is what will transpire with their goaltending. Right now, Jeremy Swayman is a pending restricted free agent, while Linus Ullmark has seen his name pop up in numerous trade rumors in recent months. 

It appeared as though the writing was on the wall for Ullmark in Boston when a deal was reportedly in place to send him to the Los Angeles Kings, a deal he apparently nixed. Further speculation regarding his potential pending departure from the Bruins when they tabbed Swayman as their starter for the playoffs, save for one appearance in Game 2 of Round 1 against the Maple Leafs. 

But now, it appears as though a frontrunner has emerged for Ullmark's services now that the Kings have re-acquired Darcy Kuemper in a trade with the Washington Capitals while the New Jersey Devils have acquired Jacob Markstrom from the Calgary Flames. 

According to The Ottawa Citizen's Bruce Garrioch, the Senators are going to be making a strong push to acquire Ullmark in the wake of Joonas Korpisalo struggling mightily after inking a lengthy contract last offseason. 

"While league sources told Postmedia earlier in the day the Senators had already had stepped up their efforts to acquire goaltender Linus Ullmark from the Boston Bruins, Ottawa may be the last serious team in the mix," he wrote in a piece published earlier today. 

Garrioch later wrote: "League sources say the Senators have circled back to the Bruins to see if there’s a fit to acquire Ullmark to steady the club’s struggling net and those talks have intensified." He also noted that Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios "has been making a hard push to try to acquire Ullmark."

With Swayman all but officially poised to take the starting reigns moving forward for the Bruins, it looks as though Ullmark's time in Boston could be over with one year remaining on his current contract.

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