OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators have signed their goaltender of the future.
We’ve heard that one before. But maybe, just maybe, with Linus Ullmark, it’s different this time.
On Wednesday morning, on the eve of the Senators’ regular-season opener, Ullmark signed a four-year, $33-million contract extension to keep him in the nation’s capital through the 2028-29 season.
“When we started zeroing in on looking to upgrade our goaltending, he was the guy,” said general manager Steve Staios on Wednesday.
Ullmark beamed with enthusiasm when speaking to the media following the signing.
“It’s a surreal feeling, just because I am still processing the whole thing,” Ullmark said Wednesday. “When I saw my family now when I came in, I almost had tears in my eyes, just because it’s such a monumental thing.”
Staios acquired Ullmark in a summer blockbuster when he sent a 2024 first-round pick, Mark Kastelic and last year’s disappointment in net, Joonas Korpisalo, to the Boston Bruins.
It only took three pre-season games for Staios to reaffirm his belief in Ullmark.
“I feel like the culture is changing here in Ottawa,” Staios said. “A Vezina trophy-winning goaltender is committed to our organization for the next five years.”
The extension came as a surprise since both Ullmark and Staios had said they were holding off contract talks until both were ready. However, discussions ratcheted up in the last week.
“Getting to see Linus around our team and the fit, not just positioning, but the character and leadership, it became clear that this is something that we wanted to do long term,” said Staios. “To do it before the start of the season, I think it gives peace of mind for both of us.”
Ullmark and the Senators have now bet on each other’s futures. Ullmark signed with a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017. The Senators, who had the worst team save percentage in the league last season, signed a netminder to the largest goaltender contract in franchise history before he’s played a single meaningful game in their uniform.
Ullmark has never been a workhorse. He had been sharing the crease with Jeremy Swayman in Boston for the last three seasons. In fact, Ullmark has never played more than 49 games in a season. But he has the pedigree of winning a Vezina Trophy two seasons ago.
Now it’s time to see if he can carry a team that has its sights set on emerging from the basement of the NHL.
“I believe he is entering his prime,” said Staios. “These next coming years are going to be good and timing that with the growth of our group and where we’re at and where I think that this group can continue to build. It’s a good feeling having a starting goaltender, a stabilizing factor, a character person, a leader in that position.”
There’s a parade of goaltenders who have played well elsewhere either before or after they came to Ottawa, but ended up in the Senators’ goalie graveyard: Korpisalo, Matt Murray, Joey Daccord, Filip Gustavsson and Cam Talbot, for example. Only one Senators goaltender has posted over a .915 save percentage since Craig Anderson in 2016-17, and that was Anton Forsberg who is still with the team. But none of Ottawa’s previous goaltenders have had the consistency of Ullmark, who has posted above a .915 save percentage in his last five seasons.
Ullmark’s extension will keep him in Ottawa until he’s 36. His new contract ties him for the fifth-highest AAV for a goaltender in the NHL.
One way of looking at the signing is that Staios is wagering on the Senators’ existing core of Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Thomas Chabot and Jake Sanderson, who despite their talents, have failed to make the playoffs.
“There’s a change in the air,” said Ullmark. “You can feel it from the outside, but also for someone that coming in now. I can see it in the locker room and talking to the players, coaching staff, medical teams, and trainers. Everybody that works in this organization, there’s this upbeat, positive thinking, and you can sense that we’re not happy with where we are, and we want to be a playoff team.”
Last year, Ullmark and Swayman were famous for their goalie hugs at the end of games. Now, they have both signed within three days of each other for the same annual dollar amount — $8.25 million a season. Ullmark said it was just a coincidence.
“I still look at it, I see it, but I don’t have to compare to myself. They’re in a different situation,” said Ullmark. “It is hard, because sometimes you might think that you’re worth more or you might think that you’re worth less. It’s such a hard thing to gauge.
“And it’s always been, I think it’s always going to be.”
In the end, the Senators and Ullmark want to help the other thrive.
“We’re looking for a win-win, that’s the way I like to negotiate,” said Staios.
Ullmark plans to treat his teammates to dinner out later this season to celebrate his new contract.
“Hopefully the boys go easy on me,” Ullmark said. “Not going to have an open bar. We’re professionals, so we stay away from that.”
The Senators are hoping to dine out on Ullmark’s saves for the next five years if their bet pays off.