Linus Ullmark Denied Huge Opportunity After Being Shelled by the Maple Leafs in Round 1

Representing your nation in any international tournament is an honour all hockey players take to the heart. While the IIHF World Championships aren't exactly where you want to be playing during the spring, especially if you were ousted from the NHL playoffs, it's still a unique opportunity for everyone involved.

This year's tournament is being held in Sweden and Denmark and will run through 9th-25th of May. With Swedish netminders Jacob Markstrom and Filip Gustavsson not participating this year, it could have been a great opportunity for Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark, a former Vezina Trophy winner, to strap on the pads as the starting goaltender.

Unfortunately, his request was rejected by those constructing the rosters and a part of that could be due to his recent performance in the first round of the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

A lot has been made of his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rendition when you look at his regular season stats compared to his post-season numbers. Entering the playoffs this year, Ullmark had a 3-6 post-season record with a .887 SV% and had allowed 33 goals in 10 games.

The Maple Leafs got to him again this year to the tune of a 2-4 record, a .880 SV%. and a 2.84 GAA. Most of the damage came in the first game of the series when he allowed 6 goals on 24 shots, but he still allowed 12 goals on 114 shots in the final 5 games, which included a shutout performance in Game 5.

Instead, Sweden is going with Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson and Chicago Blackhawks netminder Arvid Soderblom. Both were chosen alongside Arvid Holm to represent Sweden at the Betano Hockey Games to start the month of May.

Ullmark will look to get back on track heading into the 2025-26 season after posting a 25-14-3 record with a .909 SV% in his first year with Ottawa. His regular season numbers aren't the issue, so it will be interesting to see if he can help lead the Senators back into the post-season to quiet down the criticisms of his playoff performances.