Boston (AP) — Don Sweeney, general manager of the Boston Bruins, is prepared to stick with a goalkeeper rotation for the upcoming campaign, “if we can make the math work.”
Goalie Jeremy Swayman’s contract extension is Sweeney’s top priority this summer, he stated on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Alaskan would prefer to skip the arbitration process that left him unhappy last summer.
Jeremy is aware that it’s a priority, as Sweeney stated during the team’s end-of-season media availability. “He’s an important member of both our present and future teams.”
Following Boston’s record-breaking 2022–23 season, when he finished as the No. 2 to Vézina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, Swayman was given a $3.475 million contract last summer after failing to reach an agreement on a long-term deal. “I don’t want to do it ever again,” was his response.
In the regular season, Swayman alternated with Ullmark and finished with a record of 43-25-10 and a goals-against average of 2.53. The idea was to use the same strategy in the postseason; following Ullmark’s defeat in Game 2 of their first-round series against Toronto, Swayman started and finished the series with a 6-6 record and a 2.15 GAA.
Five days after Boston was knocked out of the Eastern Conference playoffs in six games by the Florida Panthers, Bruins president Cam Neely expressed his continued disappointment at the fact that the team will not be playing. “But I’m looking forward to the off-season.”
Ullmark finished the regular season with a record of 39-22-10 and a 2.57 GAA, one year after being awarded the best goalie in the NHL. He has expressed his desire to stay in Boston and is expected to earn $5 million the next season.
We’re going to have the best tandem if we can figure out the arithmetic. Sweeney stated, “If we can’t, we’re going to explore.” He also mentioned the possibility that Ullmark would decide to want to be traded to a team where he could play more.
At the moment, he is ecstatic. It gave us great pleasure to sign Linus. And in an ideal world, we would continue to employ the tandem since, in my opinion, it is excellent,” Sweeney stated. However, we’re going to look into potential. It’s going to ring on my phone. I have some calls to make. That’s exactly what the position calls for.
According to Sweeney, the goalkeeper impasse is more of a mining opportunity than a problem that needs to be fixed. After Swayman signs, the team will assess if it can afford to trade for a goaltender to address a need or spend up to $10 million on goalies.
“Our goalie duo is among the finest in the National Hockey League, without a doubt. And they demonstrated that throughout the season,” Sweeney remarked. “Most nights, they put us in a position where we can win.”
At the press conference, CEO Charlie Jacobs stated that Sweeney, Neely, and Montgomery have total trust from the ownership. According to Montgomery, there are no intentions to make changes to the coaching staff.
Brad Marchand, who was regarded in the NHL as a face-licking troublemaker, succeeded in his first year as captain, according to Sweeney, who expressed his satisfaction with the player’s development.
“Everyone is aware of Brad’s character. He’s going to try to take on and embrace any challenge that comes his way. Brad has this quality of kind of amplifying everything, which is very good, Sweeney said, adding that Marchand also learned to include other voices in the locker room.
According to Sweeney, “that’s indicative of a guy who was growing into leadership.” “Believing it’s an extension of what he’s trying to accomplish as a leader himself, rather than feeling like he has to suffocate the room.”
Neely also addressed the team’s record-breaking seven penalties in the playoffs for having too many players on the ice.
“Seven is a large number. There isn’t any uncertainty. He remarked, “You have to eliminate 14 minutes of penalties that you shouldn’t be receiving.” You can understand one or two, I mean. However, there is obviously some misunderstanding. .. There is no denying that seven is much too many to have occurred.
