Linus Ullmark and Senators Will Take Wait and See Approach
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and was asked about the contract negotiations between the Ottawa Senators and Linus Ullmark and where things stand.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Scott Laughlin: “Yeah if you’re a guy like Jake Oettinger too, you’re watching this right, you’re going, Okay, well, how much is Shesterkin going to get and how much is Swayman going to get? And I could only think about that, that shot of Linus Ullmark as Ottawa hosted a preseason game late last week.
The Truth is Likely Somewhere In Between
Dave and they had a cutaway to Linus Ullmark In the private suite. And, of course, right after that, he got thrown out there and got subjected to all that rubber in the first half of the game that he played. There was Ullmark there on his phone, and I was wondering whether he was tweeting his former hug mate in Jeremy Swayman and if they were talking contract at that point, and hey, what are the Bruins offering? What are you looking for the whole bit?
Because you know that this is going to affect even a guy like Ullmark. And I just wonder, from your perspective, how intrigued are you to see how this relationship between Ullamrk and the Senators plays itself out, presumably here, over the next couple of months, because for the Senators, it’s a feeling out process to make sure they’ve got the right guy, finally in tow, as a guy that can be a number one for a couple of years they’ve taken some swings and haven’t exactly hit it out of the park.
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But Ullmark is maybe the guy, and yet Ullmark could walk next summer if he really wanted to, if it’s not working out for him, from his perspective in Ottawa, so this will be a relationship that monitors, no doubt, and bear some monitoring in search of where the progress is here.”
Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah. And I think once this was consummated in June, that both sides kind of have that same mindset. Both sides are like, listen, let’s play this out. Let’s see where this goes before we enter into any type of long-term marriage, any type of long-term relationship. Here, let’s see how we gel with each other, and if the feeling is right, then, okay, let’s work on getting an extension.
It doesn’t sound like there’s any sense of definitive urgency from either side in terms of getting a deal done. You’re right, without question Swayman’s deal, Shesterkin’s deal, etc, like those guys are going to factor into what Ullmark is ultimately going to get on his deal as as an potential unrestricted free agent next July.
Is this A Make Or Break Year For The Ottawa Senators?
So whether it’s in Ottawa or another club, those deals will definitely factor into his negotiation. And for Linus, I think it’s just go out there, play your game, and if you like the market, if you like the team, if you like the direction of the team, then you know, from you go from there, you commit long term.
At that point, from Ottawa’s perspective, you want to be a playoff contender. You’re due to get back on track and go back in that direction, perform, back in that direction. And things are finally starting to look up for the Sens in terms of their new home and the prospect of them getting closer to a new rink. They finally got over the hump that are getting those first steps.
So you want to, once that’s going to happen, that’s obviously going to be a few years away, but you want to have competitive hockey on a consistent basis for now and in the future. And having a guy like Linus Ullmark, Vezina winner, a guy who continued to perform well last year at the helm is going to be important for the overall longevity and the success of this club.
Can the Ottawa Senators Find the Perfect Mesh On the Ice This Season?
So if you take it slow, let’s walk before we run type of relationship, and both sides are on the same page with respect to that. And that’s kind of rare to a certain extent, but also a little bit of a crushing to see, because both teams, both sides, understand the risks involved.”
Laughlin: “Yeah, So ideally, for the Senators, for their fan base, you want to see the team winning, Ullmark playing well, it leads to a consummation at the end of a contract extension for Ullmark, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out.”
