Linus Ullmark and the Ottawa Senators Are in No Rush to Make the Extension Happen

Linus Ullmark and the Senators Will Wait and See

Season Four's Dave Pagnotta joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick and was asked about the contract talks between the Ottawa Senators and Linus Ullmark and where things stand.

Writing for NHLRumors.com

Scott Laughlin: “Yeah, if you're a guy like Jake Oettinger and you're watching this right, you're going to go, OK, how much is Shesterkin going to get and how much is Swayman going to get? And I could only think about that, that Linus Ullmark shot as Ottawa hosted a preseason game late last week.

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Dave and they had a way to Linus Ullmark Private House. And, of course, after that, he got thrown out there and faced all that rubber in the first half of the game he played. There was Ullmark there on his phone, and I was wondering if he was sending his earlier hug to Jeremy Swayman and if they were talking about a contract at the time, and hey, what are the Bruins? What do you all want?

Because you know this will affect even a guy like Ullmark. And I'm just wondering, from your point of view, how surprised you are to see how this relationship between Ullamrk and the Senators plays out, maybe here, in the next few months, because for the Senators, it's a feel-good process to be sure. they got the guy right, finally in tow, as a guy that could be number one for a few years they took some swings and didn't exactly hit it out of the park.

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But Ullmark is probably a man, but still Ullmark can leave next summer if he really wants to, if it doesn't work for him, from his point of view in Ottawa, so this will be a cautious relationship, no doubt, and have some caution. I want to see where the development is here.”

Dave Pagnotta: “Yes. And I think that when this is finished in June, that both sides have the same idea. Both sides are the same, listen, let's play this. Let's see where this goes before we get into any kind of long-term marriage, any kind of long-term relationship. Here, let's see how it fits together, 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 direct urgency from either side about making a deal. You're right, without questioning Swayman's deal, Shesterkin's deal, etc, maybe those guys will look at what Ullmark will eventually get in his deal as a potential unrestricted free agent next July.

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So whether it's in Ottawa or another club, those deals will have an impact on his negotiations. And for Linus, I think you 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 there you go from there, you commit. long term.

At that point, from Ottawa's perspective, he wants to be a playoff contender. You have to get back on track and get back to that place, play, get back that way. And things are finally starting to look good for the Sens in terms of their new home and the prospect of moving closer to a new rank. They finally got over the hump that got those first steps.

So you want, if that's going to happen, that's obviously going to take a few years, but you want to have competitive hockey on a consistent basis now and in the future. And having a guy like Linus Ullmark, a Vezina winner, a guy who continued to do well last year at the helm is going to be key to the longevity and success of this club.

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So if you're taking it a little bit, let's go before we run that type of relationship, and both sides are on the same page about that. And that's rare to some degree, but also less stressful to see, because both parties, both sides, understand the risks involved.”

Laughlin: “Yeah, well, for the Senators, with their fan base, you want to see the team win, Ullmark play well, it leads to the end of Ullmark's contract extension, but you'll have to wait and see how it plays out.”