There's no debate anymore: The Boston Bruins' net belongs to Jeremy Swayman.
The Bruins traded his goalie partner and 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner, Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators on Monday for netminder Joonas Korpisalo, center Mark Kastelic and a 2024 first-round draft pick (25th overall).
This trade clears the way for Swayman to be the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Boston for the long term. And while that's great for Swayman, it does come with added responsibility and pressure.
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One of the reasons why the Bruins were in the mix for the Presidents' Trophy until the final week of the 2023-24 regular season was their goaltending.
The Bruins did not defend very well this past season. They ranked 18th in shots allowed, 17th in scoring chances allowed and 21st in high-danger chances allowed at 5-on-5 last season, per Natural Stat Trick. The B's survived in large part because Swayman and Ullmark posted a combined .929 5-on-5 save percentage, which was third-best in the NHL. The goaltending bailed out the Bruins in a lot of games.
It was such a luxury for the Bruins to be able to roll out a Vezina-caliber goalie every night, and it was one that almost no other team had. That luxury is now gone as a result of the Ullmark trade.
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Korpisalo is coming off an awful season in which he posted a 21-26-4 record with a .890 save percentage and 3.27 goals-against average for the Senators. He ranked 97th out of 98 goalies in goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. Unlike Ullmark, you're probably not going to get 35-40 games of consistently above-average (let alone elite) play from Korpisalo. If there's anyone who can turn Korpisalo back into a competent player, it's Bruins goalie coach Bob Essensa, but banking on a quick rebound from the Finnish netminder would probably be unwise.
Providence Bruins goalie Brandon Bussi is another potential backup. He has a lot of talent and projects to be a solid NHL player, but he has zero experience above the AHL level. It would be foolish to expect him to play 35-40 games as a backup next season.
All of this means Swayman likely will need to take on a workload next season that he's never experienced. There were 14 goaltenders who started 50-plus games last season, and 11 of them led their team to the playoffs.
Swayman played in a career-high 44 games this past season, and he started consecutive games just three times. It was only the second time he has played in 40-plus regular season games in a single NHL campaign. Will he be able to maintain his top-10 goalie form while playing 50-55 games next season? There are many reasons to believe he can, but it's no slam dunk.
Swayman did just fine with a heavy workload in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He started 12 of the Bruins' 13 games and at one point made a career-high 11 consecutive starts. The results were fantastic, including a playoff-leading .931 save percentage and a playoff-best 13.3 goals saved above expected. He looked fresh in the playoffs after playing just 44 games. Will that be the case if Swayman is forced to play 50-55 games next season?
The playoffs are also a two or three-month stretch. Maintaining that high level of performance over a seven-month regular season is a different challenge. That said, Swayman has consistently been one of the league's top goalies in each of his three full seasons as an NHL player.
It's also unknown how potent the Bruins offense will be next season. The B's ranked 13th in goals scored during the regular season -- they were No. 2 the year before -- and then saw their scoring production drop by almost a full goal per game in the playoffs. The Bruins scored two goals or fewer in nine of their 13 postseason games. If the Bruins don't retain Jake DeBrusk and fail to bring in a top-six center and a proven goal scorer on the wing, that will ramp up the pressure on Swayman to be lights out in net next season.
Another pressure Swayman could face beginning next season is living up to a lucrative contract. He is eligible to become a restricted free agent next week. If the Bruins sign him to a large long-term contract -- something in the $7-8 million per year range, for example -- that will put him under even more pressure to play at a high level. Only five goalies currently have a salary cap hit above $6.4 million next season, and that group includes four Vezina Trophy winners and two Stanley Cup champs. With a higher salary comes higher expectations.
Make no mistake: The Bruins are very lucky to have Swayman. He projects to be a top 10 goalie for eight to 10 more years. He is fiercely competitive, a great teammate and embraces the challenge of playing for an Original Six franchise that always faces high expectations. He doesn't get rattled and both his performance and swagger give the players in front of him added confidence.
He truly embraces playing for the Bruins.
“That's everything to me," Swayman told reporters at break-up day last month. "I think it's obvious how much I care about this organization, how much I care about this team and the city. And I wouldn't want it to be any other way. That's what allowed me to come to the rink every day and just give my absolute all because I know I'm representing more than myself and my family. I’m representing the city and an organization and a great history.
"You talk to guys around the league that don't have that experience, and I feel bad for them. So I couldn't be more happy to be a Bruin.”
There will be some new challenges for Swayman next season as the undisputed No. 1 goalie in Boston. He'll be under immense pressure to help the Bruins take another step and make a deep playoff run for the first time since 2019. The good news for the Bruins is that so far, he has given the team and its fans every reason to believe he'll rise to the occasion again.