When the puck was dropped on the 2025-26 NHL season, there were many more questions than answers facing the Boston Bruins. Coming off a season where they finished tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Black and Gold had a huge bounce-back season, backboned by goalie Jeremy Swayman.
The 2024-25 season was lost for Swayman before it even started. He missed training camp amid a contract dispute and signed just hours before the Bruins were hopping on a plane to South Florida for the season opener against the Florida Panthers. No training camp was bad.
Swayman finished the season 22-29-7 with a career-high 3.11 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage. Those were not the numbers fans were expected to see from their new $8.25 million-a-year netminder.
However, he had a big rebound season last year to help the Black and Gold make the playoffs, and if they are going to get a second straight postseason berth, they'll need another Vezina Trophy-type season from the former University of Maine goalie.
Jeremy Swayman tabbed as Bruins key to playoff berth in 2026-27
NHL.com writer Amalie Benjamin dropped a preview of the Bruins' upcoming season, and she pointed the finger at a key to the Black and Gold securing another postseason berth for a second time in as many years: Jeremy Swayman.
"Much like last season, this probably mostly comes down to goalie Jeremy Swayman. His bounce-back season after a disappointing 2024-25 was the single biggest reason the Bruins ended up back in the playoffs. So, there's pressure on Swayman to replicate a season when he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy after going 31-18-4 with a 2.71 goals-against average, .908 save percentage, and two shutouts,'' wrote Benjamin.
Benjamin isn't wrong. In fact, in this day and age of the NHL, it's all about goaltending, like it's all about the quarterback in football. Now, on July 1, Boston general manager Don Sweeney decided to trade backup Joonas Korpisalo to the New York Rangers, which opens a roster spot for Michael DiPietro to be Swayman's backup this season.
There were a couple of factors that led to that decision, clearing cap space being one of them, but also, if DiPietro was placed on waivers to join the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL), then he wouldn't have cleared and would have been claimed by another team and been lost for nothing.
Swayman isn't the sole reason for Boston making the playoffs again, but he's a key to it. The Bruins' defense will have to be good in front of him, and they are going to need some major depth scoring to get there. It all begins next week at Warrior Ice Arena.
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