Opinion: Linus Ullmark Needs to be Better for the Ottawa Senators

Linus Ullmark #35 in net for the Ottawa Senators

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark made 29 saves in Tuesday’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo scored twice in the opening 37 seconds to take control of the game. As a result, Ullmark suffered his third loss in four decisions since he returned from an injury in late October, a stretch in which he has posted a 3.23 GAA and .880 save percentage. Ullmark was acquired in June via trade from the Boston Bruins, and then the Senators signed the would-be unrestricted free agent to a four-year, $33 million contract.

The 31-year-old’s season debut was a 31-save win over the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, and there was a tremendous amount of optimism that Ullmark would be the missing piece to a young, talented team looking to make the next step to the postseason. However, Ullmark has since allowed at least four goals three different times this season and has already battled a minor lower-body injury. Ullmark had been susceptible to nagging lower body injuries while playing in Boston and could not finish playoff series in two consecutive years.

Ullmark is a Vezina Trophy winner and top ten goalie in the NHL when healthy and playing well. The Senators need him to be a threat to make the playoffs this season, but the caveat is that at 31 years old and with a recent history of injury concerns, all eyes will be on whether Ullmark can be a top number-one netminder this season and then into the playoffs. The jury is still out on whether the 6-foot-5 goaltender can stand tall and make Ottawa a solid contender for postseason play.

There is cause for concern with Ullmark in Ottawa due to his current slump and the fact that there are still four years left on his contract at $8.25 million per season. Ullmark has a career 2.52 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, but this season a 3.02 GAA and an .892 save percentage. The veteran goaltender has never had a save percentage below .900 and has not posted a GAA above 3.00 since the 2018-19 season (3.11).

Ultimately, the Senators expect and need more from their goalie and should get a much better Ullmark soon. If they do not or the injury bug continues to surface, the Senators will be in trouble this season and beyond.

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