Edmonton Oilers among teams vying to trade for Bruins starting goalie
With the Boston Bruins being eliminated from the playoffs last season, offseason moves are now on the table, starting with goaltender Linus Ullmark.
According to several reports across the NHL, the Bruins will look to trade the veteran starter in the final year of his contract and commit to their younger goalie in Jeremy Swayman. Linus Ullmark is older at age 30, only bringing 249 games of NHL experience, but did win the Vezina Trophy in 2023. As a bonus for any team acquiring Ullmark, his salary is a manageable $5M.
With any report of an established and successful goalie being available on the market, the Edmonton Oilers are going to be associated. Tonight in game 6 of the playoffs, the Oilers are turning back to Stuart Skinner after his repeated playoff failures gave the team some worries as to his ability to handle the crease in the playoffs. In a tandem with a goaltender like Linus Ullmark, the Oilers goalie position would be a great strength, not a weakness. Already, Oilers fans are out banging the drum to trade for Ullmark.
At this year's trade deadline, the Bruins already identified Swayman as their future goalie, and tried to find a trade for Linus Ullmark. His modified no-trade clause ended up blocking a trade to the Los Angeles Kings, but it's expected the Bruins will circle back and Ullmark will accept a trade this offseason. The Edmonton Oilers are obviously unable to address their goaltending situation with Jack Campbell on the roster, but clearing him off the books this offseason will allow a retool of the Oilers crease. It's been reported that along with the Kings, the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils have been big contenders for Ullmark in trade.
In an elimination game 6 scenario, Stuart Skinner has an opportunity to prove himself to be a clutch enough goalie to win playoff games, and be who the Oilers need him to be. Either tonight can be the beginning of Skinner maturing into a playoff goaltender, or the Oilers will shift to prioritizing an upgrade in net this offseason.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers should trade for Ullmark this offseason? | ||
| Yes, go get Ullmark | 280 | 73.3 % |
| No, Skinner is a bona fide starter | 74 | 19.4 % |
| See Results | 28 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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