Steve Staios still trying to steady the Ottawa Senators’ goaltending

Published Jun 21, 2024 • 4 minute read

Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and General Manager Steve Staios. Photo by TONY CALDWELL /POSTMEDIA

All was quiet on the Ottawa Senators’ front Friday.

But there was no shortage of working taking place behind the scenes.

With the National Hockey League draft less than a week away with Round 1 Friday at The Sphere in Vegas, Steve Staios, Ottawa’s president of hockey operations and general manager, continued to work the phones to try to get the pieces in place to upgrade the club’s roster.

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The Senators top priority is to improve the club’s goaltending and Postmedia has reported Staios has re-engaged in serious discussions with Boston Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney to see if they can find the right fit to bring veteran Linus Ullmark to Ottawa.

Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg were ranked among the worst goalies in the league last season, not only with their goals-against average but also in save percentage. To make matters worse, they combined to give up a goal on the first or second shot of the game 22 times.

Speaking at a season-ticket holder event last week, Dave Poulin, the club’s senior vice-president, told the fans that the club’s hockey operations department knows it has to improve the goaltending.

While the Senators made a push for Ullmark at the National Hockey League trade deadline in March, the club wasn’t able to get a deal in place with the Bruins and that’s why Staios has revisited these discussions because Ottawa needs to upgrade the net badly.

The Senators, Kings and Devils were among several teams that worked hard to acquire the 30-year-old Ullmark then. The indications are Ullmark refused to change his 14-team no trade list, which meant a possible deal was scuttled, but that wasn’t with the Senators.

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Making $5 million U.S. heading into the final year of his deal, Ullmark split the duties with Jeremy Swayman in the regular season, but made only one start in the playoffs.

The market for Ullmark is shrinking after the Devils acquired Jacob Markstrom from Calgary and the Kings picked up Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals.

Any team that acquires Ullmark will want to have an extension in place because he’s only year away from unrestricted free agency.

The indications are the asking price is high and league executives say the Bruins have been scouring the market for a centre. Boston would have interest in restricted free agent Shane Pinto but we’ve been told the Senators have indicated to teams they have zero interest in moving him.

Speaking on the Leafs Nation podcast with Nick Alberga and former NHL goalie Carter Hutton Friday, Ullmark knows his days with the Bruins are likely numbered if the organization can get someone to pay the asking price.

“It’s hard to say (what might happen),” Ullmark told the podcast from his home in Sweden. “We’re coming back to that logical side where the team is going to do whatever they need to do to become the very best and as prepared for next season as possible.

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“If you’re part of that chess piece where they can use you as a trade piece to become better, they’re going to do it. That’s the business side of it. There’s no feelings attached or anything like that, it’s just business related. You have to take it as a business decision and not a personal decision.

“That’s why, for me, I try to focus on being the best human being I possibly can. At the end of the day, if you’re being the best person you can be, you’re putting your best out there and you still get traded you can say I tried my very best and let’s start new in the next place.”

A restricted free agent, the Bruins want to sign Swayman to a long-term extension, which means Ullmark is available. Boston has also stepped up its efforts to move the 30-year-old Ullmark because he has a $1-million signing bonus due on July 1 that will make up part of his $4.5 million salary.

The Senators offered Korpisalo to the Bruins as part of a package for Ullmark at the deadline, but the Bruins had no interest. Boston can’t afford to take on the $16 million in salary and the four years remaining on Korpisalo’s contract.

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Ullmark said he has enjoyed his time in Boston but will be prepared for a new start if he does get dealt.

“I love being in Boston and being a Bruin and it’s been three great years,” Ullmark said. “As much as you have this feeling that this might be my last season or next season might be my last season, you never now. I just always to do my best and be professional.”

If Staios can’t complete a trade for a goalie, then the answers will have to come from within. We’re told that scenario is unlikely and, at the very least, the Senators will try to upgrade the backup position by moving on from Forsberg, who has one year left at $2.75 million.

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