Though general manager Don Sweeney did not transfer one of the team’s top assets, the NHL trade deadline on
Friday at 3 p.m. didn’t happen, it doesn’t mean he wasn’t close to doing so.
The Bruins were reportedly negotiating on a deal for Ullmark, but the netminder rejected the move “in large part
based on geography,” according to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes on Friday. The Los Angeles Kings were the other team
engaged in the non-trade, according to Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff.
Ullmark has a 16-team no-trade provision in his four-year, $20 million contract that he signed with Boston in July
2021. If Ullmark refused to renounce his no-trade clause before the deadline, Sweeney would not say.
“In the end, I won’t ever engage in a dialogue regarding what I may have discussed with Linus,” Sweeney declared on
Friday. “I’ve admitted that we looked into various scenarios and had the chance to rotate players.”
The Bruins ultimately failed to make any sensational acquisitions. The franchise received defenseman Andrew Peeke
from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Providence defenseman Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round draft
pick, and experienced forward Pat Maroon from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for AHL Providence forward Luke
Toporowski and a 2026 sixth-round conditional draft pick.
Although moving Ullmark would have ensured a substantial profit, Sweeney did not instantly believe it was worth it
given the circumstances.
We might have to do that if it ultimately improved our squad, if I had to take away from one of this hockey team’s
true strengths. And we didn’t proceed in that manner,” Sweeney stated. “It needed to balance out if we were going to
achieve it. We were unable to identify the ideal circumstance that could have caused that.
