Is Jeremy Swayman ready to be the Bruins' 1 goalie? (VIDEO)

Published May 17, 2022 at 1:25 PM
BY DORIN CANADAY

When the Boston Bruins lost Tuukka Rask to retirement, it left a giant hole in the goaltending position, as Rask is arguably the best goaltender in franchise history.

As a result, the team signed Linus Ullmark to a four-year, $20,000,000 contract in free agency on July 21st, 2021. The 28-year-old was set to most likely be the team's new starter while sharing the crease with rookie Jeremy Swayman. That's basically what happened all season long, with the two almost splitting games down the middle, while a hot streak down the stretch made Ullmark the Bruins' "starting goaltender."

Heading into playoffs, head coach Bruce Cassidy said Ullmark would start game one. After losses in games one and two, Cassidy went to the rookie Swayman for game three, and he never let go of the starter's crease for the rest of the series. Although Boston lost the series 4-3 to the Carolina Hurricanes, Swayman went 3-2 with a goals-against-average of 2.63, and a .911 save percentage.

Swayman spoke to the media Monday morning to discuss this season and his preparation and mindset for next season:

"I learned a lot about myself off the ice this year, with recovery and my preparation. On-ice stuff, just making sure I'm focusing on [my] hands, puck-play, anything a goalie needs to do well ... I'm happy for the experiences I've had so far, and it's just an added motivation. I don't want to feel how I felt a few days ago [game seven loss], ever again."

As Swayman said, the experience he got in his rookie season could be massive for his development into next season. Getting game seven playoff experience, especially against a strong team like the Hurricanes, can only help the young goaltender.

Listen to what else Swayman had to say here: