Impressions of, and questions concerning--G, Linus Ullmark

Goalie--Linus Ullmark

DOB:  July 31, 1993 (age, 25)

Draft:  2012 sixth round (163rd-overall)

How acquired:  Drafted by Buffalo

Last contract signed:  June 13, 2017--3yr./$1.5million

Final year of contract: 2018-19

2018-19 Stats:  15-14-5 record | 3.11 GAA | .905 SV% | 2 shutouts

Buffalo Career Stats:  24-27-7 | 2.87 GAA | .910 SV% | 2 shutouts

What we wrote preseason:  Ullmark did not have the best Amerks team in front of him in 2016-17 and lead the league in shots-against with 1,678 yet he still managed a decent .909 Sv% on a Rochester team that finished with the sixth-worst record. Last year he clipped his GAA to 2.44 and upped his Sv% to .922 and helped the Amerks reach the playoffs for the first time in three years. But they were swept in the first round with him sporting a 5.50 GAA and .880 Sv%.

Earlier at training camp Ullmark, ever the thoughtful and level-headed one, was asked about the finish to last season and he told the press that he "was going to go out there and try his very best and hope that works." 

As of now it looks as if he'll be a 1B to Carter Hutton's 1A for the Sabres and at worst he'll be considered a backup getting a good amount of starts. The Sabres will need some solid goaltending if they want to entertain thoughts of going on a playoff run this season. There will a lot of new faces amongst the skaters on the ice opening night while Ullmark will join Hutton as the new faces of Buffalo's goalie tandem.

What we wrote mid-season:  The backup [to Hutton] mentioned above is Ullmark, who's in his fourth season with the Sabres organization. Ullmark was drafted in the sixth round (163rd-overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft and has worked his way up the pipeline. He performed well as a rookie when called into emergency service for the Sabres back in 2015-16 and was the Rochester Americans starter and team MVP the last two seasons. Botterill said Ullmark would be in the mix this season and he certainly has with a 8-1-3 record and a solid .922 Sv%. After posting his second shutout of the season on Saturday night, some are already making the call to the bullpen to have him dubbed as Buffalo's starting goalie. In due time, my friends. Ullmark still has his inconsistencies as evidenced by a 2.71 GAA despite having two shutouts in 13 games, but his strong positional play and how he looks big in the crease, plus the poise he's showed, has given us every indication that he could be a No. 1 goalie.

Impressions on his play this year:  The operative word in the above paragraph is 'could'. Ullmark was real strong at times, especially in and around Buffalo's 10-game winning streak, but he also struggled mightily during the Sabres December-April slide. He had some spectacular moments, including a shutout, during that span, but for the most part he was exactly what his 10-14-3 record, 3.27 GAA and .889 SV% would indicate.

Yet as we move away from last season and begin looking ahead we can't help but wonder how much of the Sabres train wreck was caused by a head coach striving for offense from his blueliners while paying so little attention to the defensive zone. Buffalo had no idea what to do back there and ultimately goaltending took a dive along with the team. Disjointed in the d-zone might be too kind for what we witnessed in 2018-19 and perhaps that's why we saw a lot of overcompensation from Ullmark on plays which left him far past the post at one side of the net while the play was clear away on the other side. It was very troubling seeing that on almost a game-by-game basis and I'd asked Kris Baker (a former goalie) of sabresprospects.com if it was something that was correctable. He said, "yes." So that's good news. 

Other than that, at 6'4" 213 lb. Ullmark has the size and he also has all the tools to be a No. 1. He has good technique, is calm in net and seems to bounce back well which is a good foundation for himself and the team. He also provides honest, quirky post-game interviews which is good for fans and the media. Ullmark has been working up the ranks step by step and developed some consistency at each level along the way. He appeared in 37 games for Buffalo last season which is a career high and one would expect to see him in a few more next season, should his play warrant it.

Questions moving forward:  What will the restricted free agent's new contract look like? How much will new head coach Ralph Krueger help the defense and goaltending overall? Is Sabres GM Jason Botterill content with this tandem? Will Ullmark and Hutton develop a mutual trust with the skaters?  Can Ullmark get his glove working a little quicker? Can he refrain from overcompensating? Can he quicken his side-to-side movement? Will his post-game interviews get better?

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.