Last summer, the Boston Bruins employed the Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark and were taken to arbitration by Jeremy Swayman, who received a $3.475 million one-year contract. At 26, Swayman is one-half of the best tandems in the NHL and is the netminder for the future of the Bruins, who remain Stanley Cup contenders despite winning two playoff series since their run to the Final in 2019.
Swayman may not have been in the lineup then, as his former battery mate Tuukka Rask was the starter. Still, when Rask got injured and was set for surgery, general manager Don Sweeney acquired Ullmark to give his young netminder time to develop his game. During the Bruins history season in 2022-23, Swayman was 24-6-4 with a 2.27 goals-against average (GAA) and a .920 save percentage (SV%).
Related: Boston Bruins Need to Pay Jeremy Swayman Whatever He Wants
After the arbitration hearing, Swayman used the 2023-24 season as a coming out party to show not only the Bruins that he was ready to be the team’s primary netminder but also put the NHL on notice that he is one of the most athletic backstoppers who is challenging to beat down low.
Inside the Numbers: Swayman’s 2023-24 Regular Season
In 2022-23, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery opted to deploy Ullmark in a few extra games, with the two netminders dividing the workload 49-37. As mentioned, the Swedish goalie won the Vezina, so he should have played more. However, the strategy led to chaos in the playoffs, as Swayman was thrust into a do-or-die Game 7 situation, which he lost in overtime.
Montgomery opted to rotate his goalies in 2023-24, and the strategy almost worked out perfectly, with the duo splitting the season 44-40 in favor of Swayman. Considering the Bruins finished the season second in the division and didn’t earn 65 wins or 135 points, Swayman had the better numbers at 25-10-8, with a 2.53 GAA and .916 SV%.
At the start, he won his first six games, with just nine goals against and a .952%. However, like the Bruins, Swayman was okay over the next 14 games, compiling a 5-3-5 record with a 2.78 GAA, .908 SV%, and one shutout. The rotation continued through the first 25 games before Ullmark got hurt in Arizona on January 9. Swayman came in to play just 1:24, taking the overtime loss.
Because of the injury, Swayman started the next four games, the only stretch where one netminder played that many games in a row. After the overtime loss in Arizona, he dropped an overtime game against the Vegas Golden Knights before starting a five-game win streak with a win over the St. Louis Blues to conclude the road trip. In his four consecutive starts, he was 3-0-1 with a 1.75 GAA, .937 SV%, and a shutout over the New Jersey Devils.
When Ullmark returned, the rotation reset and the pair split the remainder of the games. Each netminder took a loss during a two-game losing streak at the end of the regular season, costing the Bruins a chance to repeat as Atlantic Division champions. Swayman’s statistics over the final 19 games of the regular season were 11-7-1 with a 2.73 GAA, .908 SV%, and no shutouts.
At the final buzzer, he skated in the most games (44) of his four-year career while setting a career-high in wins (25) and overtime losses (eight) in 2,566 minutes. His SV% was down four percentage points from 2022-23 from .920 to .916, while his GAA was up to 2.53 from 2.27. However, the feather in his cap was getting voted into the All-Star Game by the fans, joining David Pastrnak as the Bruins’ representative at the event in Toronto.
Swayman Carries Bruins to Second Round
Ahead of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Montgomery played coy by saying the goalie rotation would continue into the postseason. Everything seemed on par, with Swayman winning Game 1 of the opening round series against the Toronto Maple Maples, 5-1. But Ullmark dropped Game 2, allowing Toronto to tie the series at one game apiece.
In Toronto for Games 3 and 4, Swayman was near unbeatable, stopping 52 of 55 shots (.945 Sv%) while surrendering only three goals. After securing all three Boston wins in the first four games, the crease belonged to him, and Ullmark didn’t start another contest in the first round despite the Bruins getting dragged to a critical Game 7. Through the first six games, he was 4-2 with a .950 Sv% and 1.50 GAA, shutting down 69-goal scorer Auston Matthews.
Related: Bruins Exceeded 2023-24 Expectations
Although the Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers in six games during the second round, it was no fault of Swayman, who was 2-4-0, including getting the hook in Game 2. Boston’s offense went dry at the wrong time, getting outscored 19-13 in the six-game series, with Swayman giving up 16 for a 2.66 GAA with a lower .917 SV%.
Final Grade
Swayman earns an A- grade for carrying the Bruins through their Centennial Season, which had ups and downs compared to the historic campaign in 2022-23. Under the new leadership of Brad Marchand, with Patrice Bergeron retired and Ullmark’s regression, Boston fell short of another shot at the Stanley Cup by a familiar opponent. Still, Swayman emerged as the future superstar netminder to wear the Spoked B.
What’s Next for Swayman and the Bruins
Ullmark enters the 2024-25 season with one year left on his deal and is on the books for $5 million. Although he had to invoke his no-movement clause to veto a trade to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline, there’s no guarantee he’s returning for more goalie hugs next season.
The main reason behind that potential scenario is that Swayman is a restricted free agent for the second consecutive summer and is about to become a wealthy professional athlete. The Bruins front office has to secure his future and offer him whatever salary he requests because they wouldn’t have finished as a top-10 team in the NHL without him. Swaymore proved he’s ready for the starting role and has the skill set to lead Boston to their next Stanley Cup title.
Even though he had yet to receive any votes for the Vezina Trophy, Swayman is an All-Rookie and William M. Jennings Trophy winner, who just showcased that he deserves to be in the conversation with Igor Shesterkin, Thatcher Demko, Juuse Saros, and Jake Oettinger as franchise netminders who are 28 and younger.
