Causeway Crowd
Fansided

Bruins are better set up at this position than any other team

By Zander Manning

Jan 24, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark (35) and teammate goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrate the win over The Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sport
Jan 24, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark (35) and teammate goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrate the win over The Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sport /
facebooktwitterreddit

Despite losing their top two centers to retirement, the Boston Bruins are still set up to be one of the top teams in the league at one position. What position is that, you may ask? Goaltending.

During the 2022-23 season, the Bruins did something not many teams are able to do, and that is have both goaltenders on the roster win over 20 games, and lose no more than 10 games each. While most teams, have one goalie who starts at least 70%-80% of the games, Boston was  evenly distributed its games between its two main netminders.

According to ESPN.com, Vezina Trophy Winner Linus Ullmark started in 49 games tallying a record of 40-6-1, collecting a 1.89 Goals Against Average along with a .938 Save Percentage, while Jeremy Swayman took part in 37 games where he would go 24-6-4 with a 2.27 GAA, and a .920 Save Percentage.

The Bruins had one other goaltender record a victory during the season, and that was Keith Kincaid, which came in a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on November 12, 2022.

While Swayman won his arbitration case, awarding him a one-year, $3.475 million contract for the 2023-24 season, Boston is set up long-term at the goaltending position if he were to decide to explore free agency waters after the 2023-24 season, despite sources telling Causeway Crowd that Swayman is considered to be the future goaltender of the Bruins.

Boston has two goaltenders in Kyle Keyser and Brandon Bussi, who will most likely begin the season with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Providence.

Both goaltenders, while they give some stability in Providence, as Jess Belmosito of AHL News Now writes, also gives gives Boston the ability to feel good if one of their primary goaltenders were to go down with an injury.

Last season, according to theahl.com, Bussi logged 32 games of ice time for the P-Bruins where he collected a record of 22-5-4-1, and allowed just 75 goals on 981 shots. Bussi was called up to the NHL a handful of times, but only on an emergency basis and never saw the ice outside of warm-ups.

Keyser played in 24 games in Providence, where, according to theahl.com, he collected a record of 13-6-2-1. He also collected a GAA of 2.79, and a Save Percentage of .900. Unlike Bussi, Keyser was never called up to the NHL last season, despite being called up the year before.

While the Bruins may have some holes they have to patch up on the offensive side of the puck, one place that they do not have to patch it up is in the goalie room.

With four goalies vying for one starting spot, it’s safe to say goalie development coach Mike Dunham has done an excellent job at getting Boston to be the best set up in a position that some teams are just “okay” at, or have just one good player at.

Home/Editorials