If you want to sit back and figure out where things went wrong for the Boston Bruins in 2024-25, good luck. There were just too many issues for the Black and Gold that saw things fall apart into a season where they finished tied for last place in the Eastern Conference with the Philadelphia Flyers.
You could point to a number of reasons as to why things went the way they did, but now that we're here, it's going to be a big offseason for general manager Don Sweeney and the front office. They desperately need to put together a roster that will be back in the postseason next spring, and in order to do that, subtractions and additions will need to be made to the roster.
NHL insider has interesting take on Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman this offseason
Who stays and who goes remains to be seen, but in his latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said that Sweeney might be getting some calls this season and seeing if they would be willing to trade goalie Jeremy Swayman.
"I think that the whole Swayman thing (contract), it kind of blew up their season before it started, and they never got on the rails,'' Friedman said. "I have been talking to teams who might need some goaltending or have been around for goaltending, I do think there are going to be teams that call the Bruins about Swayman. His no-move doesn't kick in for another year, (20)26-27. If I was (the Bruins), this season went off the rails as I said before the season started. Put in a good summer, don't do interviews, show up in great shape, be ready to go.
"Not everybody will look at it this way, but I do look at this year as a lost year for Swayman, but it doesn't mean it can't be recovered. I would just say hey, focus, there's no contract talks, we're locked in, nothing to worry about, just go out and be ready to be a great goalie, the goalie you were (in 2023-24). If he does that, it solves your problems, a lot of your problems.''
I get it, this was a bad year for just about everyone on the Bruins, and teams will be looking to see if they can get anyone if Sweeney is going to swing big this offseason. However, after shelling out a deal that carries an $8.25 million AAV, you don't give up on your top goalie after one season, especially after trading Linus Ullmark last summer and having an unhappy backup in Joonas Korpisalo.
I do believe teams will call, but I do believe that Sweeney will do the latter of what Friedman said about putting in a good summer and coming back in September ready to go. Stranger things have happened, but fielding calls is one thing, getting Sweeney to actually do a deal is another.