Things have been quiet lately for the Boston Bruins and we are about a month away from training camp beginning at Warrior Ice Arena. There is still one bit of business facing GM Don Sweeney and that is locking up goalie Jeremy Swayman for the future. the young netminder has spoken recently about his contract status and everything continues to point in a positive direction and that also includes over this past weekend.
“I am,” Swayman said. “I believe that experience is the key to it all and going through things.
“I’m getting just as much experience right now as I did last year, with different ways of it all. And we know, it’s a business. It’s unfortunate at times, but I know I’m gonna be playing hockey at the end of the day. And I really hope with it’s the Boston Bruins.”
Contract negotiations can get tricky in sports and both players and GMs know that. However, things got somewhat ugly last summer between Swayman and the Bruins and neither wanted to go through that again. That's likely why neither filed for arbitration in the end. It's imperative that the Bruins lock him up as they traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators and got back the struggling Joonas Korpisalo in the deal and the other goalie on the roster is Brandon Bussi.
As good as the Bussi is, Boston can't go into the season with a Korpisalo/Bussi combination. If that happens, then what was a very big strong position for the Black and Gold would have gotten much weaker and that would not be good.
John Beecher thinks 2023-24 was a success for him
Last season Matthew Poitras and John Beecher were two young players who made the Opening Night roster and ended up making big contributions. Poitras had his season end in February following shoulder surgery, but Beecher played in 52 games between the regular season and playoffs. He even scored the first goal of the Black and Gold's first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I think looking at it as a whole, I think it was a pretty good success,” Beecher said. “I think going into the season, not many people were really expecting me to make that opening-night roster and make an impact. I was able to do that, which was huge for me and my confidence. And obviously there were some ups and downs.''
Yes, there were some ups and downs, but the former University of Michigan standout finished with seven goals and 10 assists combined in the regular season and playoffs, but you could see him getting better and better and there were nights where he was arguably their best face-off option.
Boston got Mark Kastelic along with Korpisalo in the trade for Ullmark with the Senators and he's someone who will push Beecher for a bottom-six roster spot this season along with Max Jones who was signed as a free agent from the Anaheim Ducks. Beecher's best spot in the lineup is at center rather than the wing, but his speed and ability to kill penalties and be good at the face-off dot is what Jim Montgomery needs in his lineup in 2024-25. Hopefully, Beecher is more consistent this upcoming season.