The Boston Bruins have the majority of their roster locked up, including newcomer forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
However, at least one Bruins veteran, blueliner Brandon Carlo, can sympathize with current starter goalie Jeremy Swayman, who is dealing with a contract dispute that has kept him on the sidelines as training camp approaches.
Carlo had his own contract dispute with the Bruins as an RFA in the fall of 2019, but he eventually agreed to a two-year, $5.7-million deal and hasn’t had any since.
“I feel like I was late to camp in Boston just a couple of years ago,” Carlo told THN.com’s Michael Traikos at the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last week. “And Charlie McAvoy, a fellow Bruins defenseman, missed a couple of days of camp. Those things sort of work themselves out. I believe our organization and management have a strong belief in our ability to complete the proper transaction.
“It’s obviously a back-and-forth, but I’ve had some chats with Swayman, and he appears to be encouraged and in a good frame of mind about everything. So all we truly worry about is that he’s mentally okay.
Carlo, 27, is beginning his ninth NHL season. During his time with the Bruins, he has experienced a variety of goaltender tandems, including Tuuka Rask and Anton Khudobin and Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Swayman and Linus Ullmark have had a lot of success over the last few years, including capturing the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2022-23 as the league’s goaltender pairing with the fewest goals allowed.
That partnership was shattered this summer when Boston traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for rookie netminder Joonas Korpisalo. While that partnership has come to an end, Carlo praised Ullmark and Swayman’s unusual relationship.
“It was pretty incredible,” Carlo said of the Ullmark-Swayman partnership. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two guys be that comfortable with each other that they just support each other completely. And it was really special for me to be on the defensive side because when one of them wasn’t playing, they’d be sitting right next to us, and their interaction during the TV timeouts and so on would really decompress me in the sense that I wouldn’t be as nervous and would be a little more calm, just because they were having fun and enjoying the process. I learned a lot from both of them.
Finally, Carlo must adjust to Swayman – whenever he signs a contract and returns to action – as well as Korpisalo in net this season. But Carlo is confident that Swayman can make a difference this season. Swayman is regarded as an exceptional goalkeeper, but he will have new challenges this season. Carlo believes Swayman is mature enough to handle the expanded goaltender duties, and that he and Ullmark are eager for the new tasks.
“I would say Swayman’s way beyond his years,” Carlo stated before ending with a praise to both Swayman and Ullmark. “(Swayman is) highly intelligent and composed. Linus, as well. What a fantastic man to be around, both on and off the ice.
