With news coming out of Ottawa that Jonas Johansson has been reassigned to the Belleville Senators, all signs point to veteran goaltender Linus Ullmark returning Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals. Ullmark missed the last eight games with a lower-body injury, and it came at the most unfortunate time for the Swedish netminder and the Senators organization.
He began the season scorching hot. In eight games, he had seven wins. Even more impressive, his 1.33 goals-against average and his 0.945 save percentage still lead the league among all goaltenders. Although Ullmark's elite start to the 2026–27 season was temporarily halted by injury, fans across the league shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the possibility of him competing for his second Vezina Trophy.
Will the red-hot start continue?
It shouldn’t be questioned whether or not Ullmark has the talent to win another Vezina. He’s already proven that he has the talent to reach that caliber, and his red-hot start this season shows his Vezina-winning season with the Boston Bruins wasn’t a fluke. The question that looms over the situation is whether he will have enough opportunities to build a credible, convincing case after missing time.
When Ullmark was awarded the Vezina Trophy with the Bruins at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 season, Ullmark appeared in just 49 regular-season games. Although some may say that was a small sample size in an 82-game season, his extraordinary 40-6-1 record, 0.938 save percentage and 1.89 goals-against average were more than enough to earn him the accolade. With 66 games remaining this season and ten back-to-back series left to endure, it's more than reasonable to expect Ullmark to play at least 50 games this season alongside backup goalie Samuel Ersson.
Of course, we don’t know what his return to the lineup will look like, and expecting him to maintain his 0.945 save percentage is a rather tall order. If he can maintain a save percentage above 0.90 and steal the Senators some much-needed wins, he should remain in the conversation with fellow goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt, Jacob Fowler, and former goalie tandem partner Jeremy Swayman.
The Senators need to make sure they don’t overwork their starting goaltender so he can stay in his finest form. If he can help Ottawa carve a path to their third consecutive postseason, he could build a compelling case for this year’s Vezina Trophy.
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