The Boston Bruins have executed a trade sending goaltender Linus Ullmark, winner of the 2023 Vezina Trophy, to the Ottawa Senators. In exchange, the Bruins acquire netminder Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and the 25th overall pick in the upcoming NHL draft, as announced by both teams on Monday.
As part of the deal, Ottawa will retain 25% of Korpisalo’s $4-million cap hit. Korpisalo is under contract for the next four seasons.
According to PuckPedia, Boston will realize approximately $1.165 million in cap space savings with this transaction.
In a notable turn, the Bruins will regain their 2024 first-round pick in the trade. Initially sent to the Detroit Red Wings during the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for Tyler Bertuzzi, the pick was subsequently moved to the Senators last July in the deal for Alex DeBrincat.
During the 2023-24 season, Ullmark posted a 22-10-7 record, along with a .915 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average while sharing goaltending duties with Jeremy Swayman. However, Swayman, a pending restricted free agent, emerged as the primary starter during the playoffs.
Ullmark remains under contract through the 2024-25 season with a $5-million cap hit, though he can become an unrestricted free agent thereafter.
The 30-year-old goaltender was a key figure in the Bruins’ record-setting 2022-23 season, where he played a pivotal role in achieving NHL highs of 65 wins and 135 points. Despite this regular-season success, Boston suffered an unexpected early exit in the playoffs against the Florida Panthers.
Korpisalo, who signed a five-year, $20-million contract with the Senators last summer, faced a challenging debut season in Ottawa. Across 55 appearances, he recorded a 21-26-4 record, complemented by an .890 save percentage and a 3.27 goals against average.
During the regular season, Korpisalo ranked unfavorably in goals saved above average (-19.42) and goals saved above expected (-13.6) among all NHL goaltenders, according to Evolving-Hockey.
Following a stint with the Los Angeles Kings in 2022-23, where he posted a .921 save percentage in regular-season play and an .892 mark in the playoffs, Korpisalo’s performance fluctuated upon joining the Senators.
On the same day, the Bruins bolstered their goaltending depth by signing 25-year-old Brandon Bussi to a one-year, two-way contract. Bussi excelled with a .913 save percentage and a 23-10-5 record for the Providence Bruins in the AHL this past season.
Meanwhile, Kastelic contributed five goals and five assists in 63 games for the Senators during the recently concluded campaign, having been drafted by Ottawa in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft.
