Linus Ullmark

Montreal, Chicago, and Ottawa all get pulled into the rumor mill here, and that usually means there is more smoke than any one fan base wants to admit. The Monembeault talk, the Bedard extension angle, and the Senators’ reported all-in push on Ullmark all point to teams thinking bigger than a quiet summer. In this league, once the chatter gets this specific, somebody is usually laying the groundwork for a move that changes the board.

Ottawa is keeping the goalie pipeline in-house, and the move says plenty about how the Senators want their crease handled going forward. Linus Ullmark’s goalie coach has clearly made enough of an impression to earn a full-time role, which is the kind of behind-the-scenes bet teams make when they think they have found a real edge.

Ottawa has its starter, but the job behind Linus Ullmark is still very much up for debate. Teams can talk themselves into goalie depth all summer, yet the real answer usually shows up in the games that expose thin plans and shaky contingencies. This breakdown looks at the options and the risk of getting that position wrong.