Ottawa has reportedly signed veteran goaltender James Reimer to an AHL professional tryout, with Darren Dreger saying he should arrive in a few days and slide into the NHL backup role. The move screams short-term stability, not a long-term reset.

This all stems from Ullmark taking a leave of absence for personal reasons, announced by Steve Staios earlier in the week. The team has kept details private, and that vacuum invited the internet to do what it always does.

On Thursday, the Senators issued a blunt statement condemning “completely fabricated and false stories” circulating online. Staios stressed Ullmark has the organization's support and asked people to respect his privacy.

The reason Ottawa moved quickly is obvious, their goaltending has been a problem even before the leave. Reuters and a Yahoo report both put the Senators at a league-worst .872 team save percentage, which is a brutal number to carry in January.

Linus Ullmark leave forces Ottawa Senators crease plan

As a Bruins fan, I hate seeing Ullmark's name used for online nonsense when he's clearly dealing with real life.

On the ice, Ullmark has still been Ottawa's best option, sitting at 14-8-5 with a 2.95 goals-against average and a .881 save percentage on the NHL stats page. That workload is why the Senators needed a veteran parachute.

Reimer is 37 and brings exactly what a shaky room needs, calm reps and a long resume. Reuters lists him with a .910 career save percentage over 15 NHL seasons, which is not elite, but it's playable when the team in front is leaking chances.

None of this changes the core point from Ottawa's statement, the issue is personal, not public entertainment. The best-case outcome is simple, Ullmark gets the space he needs, and hockey waits its turn.