When the 2023-24 season ended with a second-round loss to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it was only a matter of time before Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney did what had been rumored for a while, breaking up his goaltending duo. You know it was coming, but who would Sweeney part ways with?
As expected, Sweeney ended up trading Linus Ullmark, but he kept him in the Atlantic Division by sending him to the Ottawa Senators. He went on to have a good season and lead his new team to the postseason, and ahead of the upcoming season, NHL Network released its Top 10 goaltender rankings for the 2025-26 campaign, and it should serve as motivation for Jeremy Swayman.
Bruins goalie Jermey Swayman gets more motivation for the upcoming season
Sweeney traded Ullmark without a deal in place for Swayman, and it led to an ugly offseason between him and the Bruins. He missed all of training camp and agreed to a new deal two days before the season opener against the Panthers in South Florida. Once he got into game action, it was a disaster of a season for the University of Maine netminder.
The numbers spoke for themselves for Swayman and the team last season and should serve as motivation for the 2025-26 season. As if he needed any more motivation, Ullmark made the NHL Network's Top 10 goalies for the new season, coming in at No. 10. Swayman, to nobody's surprise, was not listed.
Kicking off our Top 10 Goalies Right Now list is none other than last year's #⃣🔟 goalie, Linus Ullmark!@Senators | #NHLTopPlayers pic.twitter.com/FhPS1Y09ua
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) September 4, 2025
All offseason and during the captain's practice this past week, Swayman sounded like someone who is primed for a bounce-back season. He led Team USA to a Gold Medal in the IIFH World Championship last May with some outstanding performances in goal, and that was the perfect way for him to head into a very important offseason.
Swayman has plenty of ways for motivation, and with Ullmark coming at No. 10 of the NHL Network's goaltender rankings for the upcoming season, it's just another one. If the Bruins are going to go where they want to this season, back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it starts with Swayman bouncing back between the pipes. It would also prove that trading Ullmark and committing to him by Boston was the right move by Sweeney.