Linus Ullmark has returned to form since mental health break
The Ottawa Senators have been one of the top stories of the season, as they own a 5-1-0 record and sit atop the Atlantic Division despite injuries to major players like Jake Sanderson, William Eklund and Artem Zub and after losing former captain Brady Tkachuk in a trade for only draft picks over the summer.
Holding it all together has been goalie Linus Ullmark, who has gone 5-0 with a .948 save percentage and 1.27 goals against average, making him one of the early frontrunners for the Vezina Trophy.
Ullmark had a tough time through the 2025-26 season, playing well below his normal level before ultimately taking a leave from the team to address his mental health. He was much sharper after he returned, and he was by far the Senators’ best player in their first round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes, Ullmark gave his team a chance to win in all four games. Now, the veteran has carried over that momentum into this season when his team has really needed him.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed Ullmark’s return to dominant form between his performance in last year’s postseason and his phenomenal start to the 2026-27 campaign.
Tyler Yaremchuk: A long weekend, like you said… Hutts, so we’ve got a lot of games to pick from. Where do you want to go for your Man of the Weekend?
Carter Hutton: I’m going with my boy. I spent three years with him, friend of the show Linus Ullmark. He’s off to a hot start, and it’s not just a hot start for me. It’s the fact that he’s been carrying this over, right? You look at his numbers from last year… It wasn’t a good year last year. He had the leave of absence. He went away. He only had a .891, which is like that outlier season for him. The lowest he’s ever had in his career is a .910 save percentage, but oh baby, he is back. Right now he’s been absolutely rock solid. He’s 5-0, he’s got a .948 save percentage, and he’s been a difference maker for this team. And on top of that, since he’s come back from his mental health leave, he’s been unbelievable. First in wins, third in 5-on-5 save percentage… You could make the argument, since he’s come back, he’s a top three goalie in the league statistically. On a team that right now, too, needs to be highlighted, Ty. They’re doing this right now without Jake Sanderson, who’s their best defenseman, without Artem Zub, who plays a ton of minutes. They just lost Matinpalo last night… Managing this right now setting themselves up for success, it’s been Linus Ullmark. He’s my Man of the Weekend, Ty.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…
