Ottawa's front office quietly ramps up interest in Minnesota's Jesper Wallstedt, the 23-year-old Swedish netminder who's turning heads with his rookie stats and Olympic buzz. The Senators' goaltending woes have them hovering just outside the playoffs, and insiders like Chris Johnston peg Wallstedt as the perfect insurance policy behind Linus Ullmark at a cap-friendly $2.2 million through next season.

Rumors heat up around Minnesota's young stud Jesper Wallstedt as the Wild shop him for center help ahead of the deadline. Insiders like Russo and Friedman confirm the 23-year-old rookie sensation leads all netminders with his sparkling stats, making him prime bait for a blockbuster. Teams like the Senators circle, desperate for goaltending stability behind Ullmark, but Bill Guerin knows he'll need a king's ransom to pull the trigger on reshaping the crease.

The Ottawa Senators quietly circle a 23-year-old Calder Trophy contender in net as their playoff push hangs by a thread during the Olympic break. Ottawa sits at 28-22-7, scoring freely but leaking goals with a shaky penalty kill and goaltending tandem that insiders say costs them a sure spot. Sources whisper this young Swede could pair perfectly behind Linus Ullmark, bolstering both now and the future without breaking the bank on his cheap cap hit.

The Ottawa Senators fire back hard at "trolls and sick people" peddling wild Linus Ullmark trade rumors. Front office frustration boils over as they defend their netminder amid baseless deadline noise. Protecting assets like Ullmark keeps Ottawa focused on their own playoff push.

Linus Ullmark sits as the backup goalie for the Ottawa Senators in today's NHL status report, a shocking slide for the former Vezina contender who's struggled mightily this season. Ottawa's crease carousel spins faster than ever with this move, as coaches shuffle cards to spark a playoff push.