As we hit the almost halfway point of training camp, the one big storyline for the Boston Bruins remains Jeremy Swayman is still not in camp. After needing arbitration last summer, neither Swayman nor the team filed for it this past summer. That was seen as a good sign that maybe, just maybe, something was going to get done.
So far, it hasn’t and here we are, less than two weeks from opening night in South Florida against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. The team that has bounced the Black and Gold out of the two last postseasons will host them when they raise their championship banner. Wonderful.
The Bruins are three preseason games deep into their exhibition schedule and if there is one takeaway, it’s that they need to end the Swayman drama and sign their future franchise goalie. If they don’t they are looking at the possibility of opening the season with what has been their strongest position on the team becoming their weakest and that’s not going to be good.
Bruins need to sign Jeremy Swayman ahead of season-opener
Three preseason games deep and despite the results on the scoreboard not meaning anything, it does carry some weight with the way the netminders have played. So far, the results have been concerning. Very concerning.
Brandon Bussi hasn’t looked bad, but he hasn’t looked great either. Against the New York Rangers in a 5-2 loss on Thursday night, he gave up four goals on the 32 shots he faced, but rebound control has been a big red flag. Leaving the amount of rebounds he has in his first two outings is not going to get it done in the NHL.
Michael DiPietro has looked, well, not good. He allowed a weak-five goal to the Rangers Sunday night, then two nights later, he allowed a goal the first time he faced a shot when he was unable to control a rebound and the Washington Capitals took full advantage.
It was just one game, but Joonas Korpisalo looked better than advertised in his one appearance so far against Washington, despite only seeing seven shots. He looked good tracking the puck, moving side to side, and looked ready for the moments of NHL action, something DiPietro has not.
If Swayman isn’t signed, you’re looking at the real possibility of a Korpisalo/Bussi combination beginning the season and with so many questions surrounding Korpisalo after a disastrous 2023-24 season with the Ottawa Senators, there should be concern between the pipes for the Black and Gold.
One more reason why Swayman needs to be signed is the schedule that Boston faces in October alone. Two matchups with the Panthers in six days, a trip to Colorado, and games against 2024 playoff teams like the Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Carolina Hurricanes. If goaltending becomes a problem, the Bruins could bury themselves in the standings before November. Signing Swayman is becoming a necessity with each passing day.