Senators' Ullmark cites mental health as reason for leave of absence

Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark opened up about the reason for his leave of absence during an interview with TSN's Claire Hanna published Tuesday.

"The real reason is mental health," said Ullmark, who hasn't played since Dec. 27. "And there's been a lot going on for a long time. I would say dating back to ever since the trade, and a lot of things have been positive as well throughout the years or these times. But a lot of the things that I had gone through or worried about hasn't really been dealt with in the right way."

Ullmark said his anxiety reached severe levels during that Dec. 27 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs in which he allowed four goals on 14 shots. He said he called the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program as soon as the game was over.

"I said, 'Hey. I'm f----d up. I need help.' And together with the program, together with the organization, we set up a plan and I went through the motions and I took the absence of leave," Ullmark said.

The Senators put out a statement Jan. 8 to squash "ridiculous speculation" that had spread online about the reason for Ullmark's absence.

Ullmark, who won the 2023 Vezina Trophy with the Boston Bruins, was traded to Ottawa in 2024. He helped the Senators snap a seven-year playoff drought last season but has posted an .881 save percentage in 28 appearances in 2025-26.