Linus Ullmark Has Been Ottawa's Difference Maker

Sometimes a goaltender is so in the zone that they make saving vulcanized rubber look as easy as stopping a beach ball.

That would be the perfect description of Linus Ullmark’s start to the 2026-27 season.

Ullmark’s been on a scorcher, leading the league in wins with an impeccable 6-1-0 record, and he’s second in the league in goals saved above expected (GSAx), according to Evolving Hockey. He has yet to give up three goals or more in a game this season.

Ullmark has improved dramatically with his ability to save long-range shots. Last season, according to Sportlogiq, he was one of the worst in the league in that category, while heading into Saturday night’s game against Philadelphia, Ullmark had stopped 73 out of 73 long-range shots, according to Sportsnet.

When asked about it, Ullmark offered an interesting quote.

“Ups and downs. It's always a battle every night. Always a grind. Good players, good teams, and (you) can't really relax,” he said after winning six straight starts to begin the season.

Even at this elite level, Ullmark reminds you of the ups and downs of being a professional athlete and a human being.

In the first months of last season, Ullmark was struggling on the ice. Statistically, he was one of the worst goaltenders in the league with an .881 save percentage.

Many fans and media alike were critical of him, including me. That was before he took a leave of absence on Dec. 27.

Up until then, nobody knew that Ullmark was in a battle for his mental health.

You never know what a man is going through until you walk a day in their shoes. In Linus Ullmark's case, this credo applies to his skates.

Too often we think of professional athletes as robots, but forget they are just as human as we are.

When he returned a month later, the Swede was in a better mental space, and it led to a U-turn in performance that would completely change the Senators' trajectory.

“Coming to the conclusion that you are broken and you need help fixing is very tough and very hard to do, but once you've taken the step and you can work towards something in becoming better, that's been the biggest part,” Ullmark said last spring after coming back.

Since his return on Jan. 31, he has a .914 save percentage in regular season games with a +13.9 goals saved above expected, which ranks him 5th in the NHL according to Natural Stat Trick. And don’t forget how he stood on his head in the playoffs, when he had a .932 save percentage and a +6.7 goals saved above expected in the first round against Carolina, according to Moneypuck.com.

When Steve Staios acquired Ullmark, he hoped the then 31-year-old could regain his Vezina-calibre play from the 2022-23 season. Sure it’s early, but the eye test and his animated post-game celebrations after his first six wins suggest that Ullmark is back to his best self.

He is clearly in a good space mentally.

"I've got my favourite Italian man (Dom Nicoletta) in the trainer's office taking care of me every day... my relationship with Sammy (Ersson)... the work that me, Petey (Justin Peters) and Maciej (Szwoch) have come bearing fruit so far. Sixty-plus games left, but so far so good."

An overlooked element lost in Ullmark’s mental health leave is that the Senators organization brought in his former goalie coach from Sweden. Maciej Szwoch is now the Senators’ coordinator of goaltending scouting and development.

Ullmark says he didn’t push for the Senators to hire Szwoch. Staios bet that getting Ullmark comfortable would translate into better on-ice performances. Whether it is correlation or causation, Ullmark’s numbers have improved since Szwoch's arrival.

We are unsure if it’s the chicken or the egg with Szwoch joining the Senators. It's hard to delineate how much a mentor or goalie coach affects a goaltender's performance.

But it's not just one Swedish reunion that's helped Ullmark: he’s found a joyful friendship with fellow Swede Sam Ersson, who the Senators brought in this off-season, trading for and eventually signing him to a 2-year, $2.2 million contract. The two had formed a bond at the Four Nations Face-Off for Team Sweden.

Ulmark’s best seasons -- and his Vezina Trophy -- were when he was paired with his close friend, Jeremy Swayman, in Boston.

“I jokingly said it to (Samuel Ersson) that if we win, we’re going to dab. My son saw it, he loved it, and I’m like, Sammy, we’re in for it now. We’re just going to keep doing it.”

“That's Linus cooking,” said Ersson about the dab.

On a human level, if you’re working with people you love to be around, you are more likely to perform at your best level.

However, Ersson currently has the fifth-worst goals saved above expected mark of any goaltender in the league this season, according to Moneypuck.com. Ersson might have transformed Ullmark, but he has had his share of struggles early on.

Nevertheless, from backups to goalie coaches to dabs to getting help, everything has worked for Ullmark on the ice in 2026.

We understand that a .945 save percentage and 1.33 goals against average is not sustainable, but if the Senators want to compete for a Stanley Cup, Ullmark’s elite play has to continue through the season and into the playoffs.

Of course, a big question with Ullmark is his durability. He’s now in his mid-thirties and has never played more than 49 starts in a season. Currently, he’s on pace for 63 starts: a mark he’s unlikely to meet as he’s been plagued with injuries throughout his career.

Given Ersson’s woeful start to the season, the Senators can ill afford to run Ullmark into the ground. If he stays on top of his game and they are safely in a playoff position, the Senators could rest him down the stretch.

The Senators aren't asking Ullmark to steal games, just play at a high level. Last season, they were top-five in expected goals share. What held the Senators back was their goaltending, which was the league's worst by a mile by Christmas time. Goaltending can be voodoo, and it’s possible that Ullmark’s October heroics this season are an aberration. If so, that will keep this Senators team from reaching its goal of competing for a Stanley Cup.

But when Ullmark returned from his mental health struggles last season, the team went on a 19-6-4 run: the third-best record in the league in that time period. That outstanding play from Ullmark has extended into this short-lived season and given the Senators currently the eighth-best record in the NHL.

What’s clear is that Ullmark’s ability to get help for his own struggles in turn helped him become a better version of himself in life and consequently at work, too. Regardless of what happens next for the Senators, that’s a lesson we should all learn to practice in our own lives.