Ottawa Senators general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios, left, and head coach Travis Green speak to reporters during an NHL hockey press conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP) The Ottawa Senators issued a fiery statement condemning online trolls for spreading false rumors related to goaltender Linus Ullmark’s leave of absence from the game for a long time. Senators General Manager Steve Staios has recently expressed his dissent and called the speculation completely fabricated and baseless, backed by false narratives. As per reports, Linus Ullmark is on leave from the Senators for a personal matter. However, both he and the Senators have kept that matter private, which has apparently opened the door for rumors to run rampant on social media regarding why Ullmark is away from the team.Meanwhile, speculations claim that Ullmark is at the center of a cheating scandal among players in the Senators’ locker room. But the Senators have addressed the issue and denied these rumors regarding a potential cheating scandal within the team, calling them “completely fabricated.”
Ottawa Senators deny false claims related to Linus Ullmark over allegations of a cheating scandal
The Ottawa Senators have vehemently condemned the rumors surrounding Linus Ullmark, which have arisen due to his prolonged absence from the team. He is away from the team owing to some personal reasons that have not been disclosed yet. However, rumors have claimed that he is involved in a cheating scandal with his teammates, which the club has denied, calling it a completely fabricated and false story.In this regard, Senators president Steve Staios released a statement on Jan. 8 addressing these rumors and speculations. Staios wrote, “Our organization was completely disappointed to read the completely fabricated and false stories that are spreading around social media about our hockey club. Linus is away from our team for personal reasons, and he has the entire organizations support.”He further added, “We asked that people respect his privacy, but clearly that request was not heard by the lowest forms of trolls and sick people who scour the internet. We are disgusted that outside forces are attempting to disrupt our hockey club. This statement will put an end to the ridiculous speculation that has spread online.”As the Swedish goalie has been away from the team for “personal reasons” since then and the Senators moved him to a non-roster spot on Thursday to make room for the return of veteran center Lars Eller.Reports suggest, Linus Ullmark was last seen playing on December 27 against Toronto, where he scored four goals. Acquired from Boston in June 2024, he signed a four-year, $33 million extension in October. This season, Ullmark holds a 14-8-5 record with a 2.95 goals against average and an .881 save percentage in his second season with the Senators.Also read: Will Panthers’ Brad Marchand play tonight against the Montreal Canadiens after an undisclosed injury? | NHL News – The Times of India