Linus Ullmark will be the key factor in determining Senators' success in 2024-25

As the 2024-25 season is drawing closer, the Ottawa Senators are seeking to end their seven-year playoff drought. Over the past seven seasons, talented offensive players haven't been the issue for Ottawa. The team has had talented players in previous seasons from Erik Karlsson, Matt Duchene, Vladamir Tarasenko, and more. The team relies heavily today on Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk, Drake Batherson, and veteran leader Claude Giroux.

But, despite having offensive talent, Ottawa has always found issues with its goaltending. After Craig Anderson's spectacular performance in the 2017 playoffs, Ottawa has had trouble finding its next number one goaltender.

After just one season of Joonas Korpisalo last season, the Senators weren't impressed enough, and the team traded him to the Boston Bruins. However, it may have helped the Senators find their number one goaltender at long last, but immense pressure is in goal again.

Trading for Linus Ullmark could be exactly what the Senators needed

When the Senators made the trade with the Bruins, they acquired Linus Ullmark. The trade may have come with a risk by Ottawa trading away a 2024 first-round draft pick, and Ullmark being an unrestricted free agent after 2024. But, it was a trade the Senators needed to make to improve their goaltending. Over the past three seasons Ullmark spent with the Bruins, he turned into an elite goaltender. In 2023, Ullmark won the Vezina Trophy and recorded a 2.28 goals against average, and a .924 save percentage.

But Ullmark's success in Beantown puts immense pressure on him to be just as good or better in Ottawa. If Ullmark can play like he did in Boston, it will give the Senators a real chance to make the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2017. Despite having a young and exciting offensive talent for the past seven seasons, the Senators lacked goaltending to return to the playoffs.

The last time any Senators goaltender recorded a 2.30 goals against average who played half the season was Craig Anderson's 2016-17 season, and Anderson's play with phenomenal to help the Senators reach the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals. So, trading for Ullmark does feel like an absolute no brainer for the Senators.

The Senators will be riding heavily on Ullmark to play well in 2024-25, but if Ullmark plays like he did in Boston, success can be achieved in Ottawa. His strong goaltending with Boston has made Ullmark get notice from NHL fans, and he brings a lot of excitement to Ottawa by playing with young talent.

"It's a very young, but exciting team," Ullmark said at his introduction press conference. "There's a lot of speed, a lot of skills, and whenever we played them, it always felt like they played a really solid game.

The Senators are close to a breakthrough to make the playoffs, and Ullmark can be the key piece that the team has been desperately missing for years.