Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! As juicy as the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Conference Finals have been, the offseason is building steam. Teams are assessing where to go from here and how they can improve their respective clubs. Key names have popped up for trades and one is a prominent goalie. Today’s rumours focus on the Carolina Hurricanes and how they can upgrade the goalies.
NHL Rumours
Rumour: David Pagnotta from The Fourth Period discusses teams interested in Linus Ullmark
The hottest commodity in the trade market is not just Mitch Marner. For the Boston Bruins, they have the luxury of having two number one starting goaltenders. After leaning heavily on Jeremy Swayman during the playoff run and abolishing the tandem, Linus Ullmark is a prime trade candidate. Moreover, there will be plenty of suitors.
Ullmark is in the final year of his contract and has a salary cap hit of $5 million. Also, he has a 15-team no-trade list, so a potential move comes with hurdles. He is worthy of being acquired, as he has been stellar for the Bruins. Ullmark captured the Vezina Trophy during the 2022-23 season and even scored himself a goal. Furthermore, from 2021-22 until present day, he owns a 2.28 goals against average, a .924 save percentage, and 49.7 goals saved above expected. Safe to say, he’s been a great goalie and is a true number one and would be on most teams. Speaking of teams, Pagnotta has a laundry list of teams that have interest in Ullmark. One of them is a true cup contender.
Hurricanes Interest in Ullmark Makes Sense
There is a very good reason for this set of NHL Rumours. Ullmark seems like a safe bet to be on the move, as the team will turn to Swayman as they advance. Pagnotta notes that the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils, and Ottawa Senators are of interest. The Kings make total sense, as they are a goalie away from being a legit threat in the NHL’s Western Conference. Also, the Devils need a true number one goalie, but also could circle back around Jacob Markstrom (per Pagnotta). Ottawa may circle back around Ullmark, but the most intriguing team is the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Hurricanes are a true cup contender in the Eastern Conference. They have a phenomenal head coach in Rod Brind’Amour and are one of the most dominant puck possession teams. One thing they excel at is shot suppression and are one of the best defensive teams in the league. Although, there are numerous key names that are free agents, so tough decisions loom.
The Hurricanes do boast one of the best two-way centres in the league in Sebastian Aho and do have key pieces locked up around him. Conversely, they need a true number one goalie. It is not a knock on Freddie Andersen by any means, but Ullmark is a sure upgrade. Andersen finished with a 2.62 goals against average and a .895 save percentage. It was a significant drop off from last year’s playoff run. However, he got out-dueled by Igor Shesterkin. Under the surface you can argue that the Hurricanes performed better than the Rangers. But goaltending was a key difference. Adding Ullmark to this roster propels them to the top of the favourites list to winning it all in 2025.
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