Nate’s Notes News: Panthers Win Cup, Ullmark to Senators, and Meruelo Walks Away

By Nate Moser

In this edition of Nate’s Notes News, there are a few topics to discuss as the 2023-24 NHL season comes to an official close. First, congratulations to the Florida Panthers on winning their first Stanley Cup championship in their 30-year history. It was a well-fought series for both Florida and the Edmonton Oilers. Many people thought the Oilers were done for after Game 3, but they battled back and were one win away from claiming their first title since 1990 and Canada’s first one since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. Panthers general manager Bill Zito will now have to try and re-sign some of their top contributors before they hit free agency in Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour among others.

Ullmark Traded to Ottawa

The Ottawa Senators addressed their starting goalie position through trade on Monday. The Linus Ullmark-Jeremy Swayman iconic hugs in Boston are done between the two, as Ullmark was dealt to Ottawa for goalie Joonas Korpisalo, forward Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first-round pick. In addition, the Senators will also retain 25% of Korpisalo’s salary. Ottawa moves on quickly from the Korpisalo experiment not even a calendar year after inking him to a five-year contract on July 1, 2023. The results were not good enough for the Senators and they are one of the organizations in the Eastern Conference who must make a push for the 2025 postseason. If they do not make it, there could be possible management replacements. Goaltending has been an issue for Ottawa in recent seasons. Since Craig Anderson left the team after the 2019-20 season; the Senators have had Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson, Marcus Hogberg, Anton Forsberg, Joey Daccord, Mads Sogaard, Cam Talbot, Dylan Ferguson, Magnus Hellberg, Kevin Mandolese, Leevi Merilainen, and Korpisalo playing in net for them. Now, they turn to Ullmark in hopes that he will be the next star netminder for them. He first debuted in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and spent parts of six campaigns with them, before signing on with the Bruins during the 2021 offseason. His best season came in 2022-23 when he made the All-Star Game and won both the Vezina Trophy for best goalie and the William M. Jennings Trophy along with Swayman. The Senators and their fans hope that he can return to Vezina form when he suits up for Ottawa in 2024-25. After that, they will have to see if they can re-sign him if he plays well.

Meruelo Walks Away as Coyotes Owner

After the land auction for property in North Phoenix was cancelled that was originally planned for June 27, Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is giving up on reactivating the franchise, in a report from PHNX Sports. I do not think this means the Coyotes will not come back. The NHL must find the next owner or ownership group to bring back the franchise as an expansion team. The key to this is to try and find a spot in Phoenix. If you ask me, the Coyotes moving to Glendale is where things started to go south to an extent. Having the team in Phoenix will make a difference for filling the arena and getting support. I think Gary Bettman and the NHL management will figure out a way to get a team back there. Maybe it will be in the five-year window that the league gave Meruelo to reactivate them or maybe it will be longer. However, I believe that hockey belongs in Arizona and that there can be a great team there with substantial backing and support. The Vegas Golden Knights have already proven that hockey can work in the desert and that may be the same with the new Utah franchise as well. There is work to be done for all parties involved, but I do not think NHL hockey is done in Arizona. They will get their team back; it is just a matter of when.