It might be fair to say that Jeremy Swayman is the best backup goaltender in the National Hockey League. But is he a backup? So far this season, the Boston Bruins netminder is splitting time with his netminding partner and friend Linus Ullmark. And when we say splitting time we mean down the middle, even Steven. Swayman has six of Boston’s 12 games and has not lost yet. The Alaska native has a 1.49 goals against average and a .952 save percentage which are both tops in the league for goalies with at least three games played.
In each of the last two postseasons, Ullmark has been the number one goaltender for Boston, but in both first-round defeats, Swayman turned out to get the starts as the series moved along. During the offseason, the third-round draft pick in 2017 signed a one-year, $3.475 million contract to remain with the Bruins. The relationship between Ullmark and Swayman remains strong and both goalies have been outspoken about how much they enjoy being teammates. In a rare occurrence, the two netminders have accepted roles as joint number-one goalies. The Bruins are sticking to a platoon system where each goalie plays every other game. This could also be the case in the playoffs if Boston returns to the postseason.
But Swayman has been the better goalie this season and is an early candidate for Vezina Trophy consideration. Ullmark won the award last season playing in 49 games (48 starts) but was sensational with a 40-6-1 record a goals-against average of 1.89 and a .938 save percentage, both league highs. Many would vote against either goal because of their lessened workload and that might be a deterrent for Swayman this season. At potentially 41 games played, that number might be too low for voters. But Swayman has been terrific and with Boston’s strong defense and structure, Boston’s goalies do not face many high-danger chances.
The challenge for either Bruins goalie will be to remain sharp with plenty of rest coming. If both goaltenders stay healthy, the NHL could see an unprecedented season-long platoon that could produce co-Vezina winners, which hasn’t happened since the 1980-81 Montreal Canadiens’ Richard Sevigny and Denis Herron shared the award. But as of now, Swayman has been the front-runner from the start.
