At this juncture of the summer, Boston Bruins star goalie Jeremy Swayman is without a contract. This has naturally led some to question why the Bruins traded fellow star goalie Linus Ullmark without finalizing a new deal for Swayman early on in the offseason. Some clarity has now been given on the matter.
In the most recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Elliotte Friedman discussed a notable potential reason why the Bruins traded Ullmark without Swayman being signed to his next contract:
"You'll remember the Ullmark trade was right before July 1st... Ullmark could have switched the teams on his [no-trade] list. At that point in time, they could trade Ullmark to Ottawa without asking him. And if you go to July 1st, what happens if Ullmark switches his list? So, my guess is that had everything to do with why that happened at that time."
This is certainly an interesting point from Friedman. Had the Bruins waited until July 1 to move Ullmark, it would have opened the door for him to put the Senators on his no-trade list. However, Boston elected to work quickly and get him traded before the possibility had any chance of occurring.
If the Bruins had waited until July 1 and Ullmark had put the Senators on his no-trade list, it would have been far more challenging for the Original Six club to trade him. By the time the Bruins traded Ullmark, the Sens were already one of the only top suitors left still looking for a starting goalie.
Trading Ullmark and his $5 million cap hit before July 1 also gave the Bruins more cap space to make notable splashes in free agency.
However, the Bruins are now in a challenging situation with Swayman remaining unsigned with training camp around the corner. The hope from here is that the Anchorage, Alaska native will be signed before the start of the season. If he is not, the Bruins will undoubtedly miss Ullmark.
