On Monday, TSN’s Elliotte Friedman reported that he would not be surprised if the Boston Bruins would extend goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s contract soon. “I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Boston tries to get Swayman done too because he’s on a one-year deal, and he can extend on Jan. 1,” were Friedman’s comments on the 32 Thoughts Podcast. Swayman will be a restricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season and is currently splitting time evenly with teammate Linus Ullmark in net for Boston.
With Ullmark making $5 million per season and one year left on his contract, Swayman is in the market to potentially match that deal and even exceed it on the open market. The Bruins are enamored with their Jennings Trophy-winning tandem and are committed to continuing a platoon right through the playoffs. But the question remains: Will the Bruins keep both goaltenders and potentially pay them upwards of $5 million per season combined? Boston has some salary cap relief coming this offseason, along with an expected cap increase, but that is still a lot of money for two goaltenders.
Swayman has been the slightly better of the two, with a 6-0-1 record, a 1.69 goals against average, and a stellar .944 save percentage. The Alaska native suffered his only loss in overtime Saturday night in Montreal. Swayman’s hot start will put the pressure on Boston to get a deal done before the end of the season. Two scenarios will come into play, sign the 34-year-old Swayman to a multi-year deal and trade Ullmark in the offseason to give the backup job to a veteran or minor league goalie, Brandon Bussi, or keep both goaltenders for one more season and potentially deal Ullmark before next season’s trade deadline.
For now, the Bruins have the luxury of two of the best netminders in the league. Goaltending has become the strength of the team, with the focus now on a more defensively conscious team. What would a deal for Swayman look like? Probably six years and upwards of $6 million per season, certainly worth that kind of commitment for a young, talented goaltender like Jeremy Swayman.
