Will the Boston Bruins listen to calls on Linus Ullmark again this offseason?
Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now: A source said that the Boston Bruins received some trade interest in goaltender Linus Ullmark last offseason but obviously, decided to keep him. Could they listen to offers this offeason?
“Teams called on Ullmark last summer and I can tell you that they at least listened to trade offers on Ullmark because the team I was working for then was one of the teams calling on him,” the source told Boston Hockey Now on Tuesday morning. “We figured why not try after he had a shaky playoff series and they had Swayman on the rise with his contract up this offseason. Ullmark is at a doable cap hit for most teams. I could see him moved this offseason.”
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Ullmark posted a 40-6-1 record this season with a 1.89 GA and .938 save percentage. He carries a $5 million salary cap hit and a 16-team no-trade clause.
The Bruins have $4.5 million in bonus overages for next season, so they’ll be starting off with less to work with.
They have pending RFAs in Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic and Jakub Lauko, and pending UFAs Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Nick Foligno, Tomas Nosek, Garnet Hathaway, Tyler Bertuzzi, Chris Wagner, Connor Clifton and Dmitry Orlov.
There were reports after the playoffs that Ullmark had a ‘debilitating and painful’ injury.
“That depends if that injury can be corrected with surgery, I would think,” the aforementioned source said. “If his health isn’t an issue, I don’t think teams are going to let the playoff performance completely rule him out as a goalie option. Also, he is the likely reigning Vezina winner, so he will have value. If I’m the Bruins, I definitely explore it, and don’t forget they got the kid in Providence coming too.”
Tyler Bertuzzi was a perfect fit for the Bruins, but he’ll be looking for a big contract
Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now: Tyler Bertuzzi seemed to be a perfect fit for the Boston Bruins with his ‘hardnosed mentality and the skill.’
The 28-year-old pending UFA loved playing in Boston.
“We loved it . Honestly, we had such a blast. We were in the North End eating pasta every day and going for walks, so we enjoyed every day here,” said Bertuzzi. “We could definitely see .
“The fans here are awesome, the arena…everything. I loved it. Having a little girl that will be going to school soon, there will be a lot of factors that will be going in . But I’ll make the decision.”
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He’ll be looking for a raise this offseason from his $4.75 million.
Jimmy Murphy: “My hunch: Tyler Bertuzzi will not be back with the #NHLBruins. Bruins can’t afford him and he has the chance to score big in free agency.”