Senators sign Linus Ullmark to four-year, $8.25 AAV million contract extension

On Wednesday, the Ottawa Senators revealed they have signed goaltender Linus Ullmark to a four-year contract extension. The deal, which is set to kick in next season, will carry an $8.25 million AAV through 2028-29.

TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to break the signing.

“I’ve reached the point in my career where I really want to put my family first,” Ullmark said in a release. “Since we’ve come here, everything has just felt natural. I hope this can help change things for the better, both for our organization and our city.”

Ullmark moved to the Canadian capital this past offseason when the Senators acquired him from the Boston Bruins for Joonas Korpisalo, Marc Kastelic, and the 25th overall pick (originally belonging to the Bruins), which resulted in Boston taking Dean Letourneau.

“I have a lot of admiration for Linus,” team owner Michael Andlauer said. “He’s a great representative of the Ottawa Senators organization, both on and off the ice.”

The 31-year-old still has one more season on his four-year contract, $20 million contract which he signed as a free agent with the Bruins in July 2021.

The trade was notable, as it meant the end of the great tandem in Boston with Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman. Coincidentally, Ullmark’s new deal comes just three days after Swayman signed his big eight-year contract to stay with the Bruins, which also had an AAV of $8.25 million.

Ullmark was brought into Ottawa to bring some assurance between the pipes, something the team arguably hasn’t had since Craig Andersen’s prime years several seasons ago.

Over his tenure with the B’s, the Swedish native became one of the top netminders in the NHL. He, along with Swayman, helped make the franchise’s transition from Tuukka Rask incredibly smooth. So much so that in 2022-23, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy, helping Boston win a league-record 65 wins. That season, he posted a 40-6-1 record with a 1.89 goals-against average, a .938 save percentage and two shutouts.

Ullmark’s numbers took a slight dip last season, going 22-10-0 with a 2.57 GAA, a .915 SV% and two shutouts. He ended up losing the starting job to Swayman in the playoffs, as the Bruins were eventually ousted in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.

In 247 NHL appearances, Ullmark has a career record of 138-73-23 with a 2.51 GAA, a .919 SV%, and eight shutouts. He also has a 3-6 record in the postseason with a 3.59 GAA and .887 SV%.