Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
As the Boston Bruins wait to come to terms with goalie Jeremy Swayman on a new contract, the questions and speculation don’t stop.
Two main questions comes to the fore, however – what happens if Swayman continues to stay on the sidelines into the regular season?
If he doesn’t return anytime soon, are the Bruins good enough to get into the playoffs with No. 2 netminder Joonas Korpisalo and prospect Brandon Bussi?
Certainly, anyone who watched Korpisalo last season with the Ottawa Senators – for which he posted a bloated 3.27 goals-against average and .890 save percentage in a career-high 55 appearances – has to be concerned about giving him the starter’s job. While the 26-year-old Bussi has proven to be an above-average AHL goalie, Bussi has zero games of NHL experience. Asking him to carry this team is too much of an ask.
So you can see, then, why there are red flags about Boston’s goaltending without Swayman.
It’s true the Bruins’ defense corps is stronger with the off-season addition of veteran Nikita Zadorov. Having him, Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo in the top four is a force to be reckoned with.
Related: Bruins Defenseman Says Nikita Zadorov’s Heavy Hitting Will Boost Team’s Physicality
But without Swayman, there’s a sizeable risk Bruins GM Don Sweeney is taking. Allowing Swayman’s contract predicament to bite into the regular season is playing with fire. In an Atlantic Division that’s the strongest in the NHL, it will take only a few wins here or there to be the difference between home-ice advantage and not in the Stanley Cup playoffs – or the difference between making or missing the playoffs altogether.
In the later part of the 2022-23 season, 30-year-old Korpisalo put up a solid .921 SP and 2.13 GAA in 11 games for the Los Angeles Kings after the trade deadline. Before that, Korpisalo had a 3.17 GAA and .913 SP in 28 appearances for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Korpisalo was used too much in Ottawa, but if Swayman isn’t returning anytime soon, the Bruins may have no choice but to rely on Korpisalo for the bulk of the action.
And what happens if one of Korpisalo or Bussi is injured? Sweeney recently signed journeyman Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout, but the 30-year-old has two games of NHL experience, and he only played 13 games last season with AHL Laval. The other option is 25-year-old Michael DiPietro, who played 30 games last season for the AHL’s Providence Bruins and has three games of NHL experience, averaging a 5.25 GAA and .771 SP in those appearances.
Perhaps Sweeney finds a different alternative in net if Swayman doesn’t return. Veteran Martin Jones still is on the open market, but there’s no word yet on whether his NHL career will continue.
As we know by now, Swayman definitely has leverage at the moment. He proved in the past couple of seasons he’s a legitimate starting netminder in hockey’s top league, and he wants to be paid accordingly. The Bruins are playing hardball with him right now, and Boston management must move quickly to rectify this situation.
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News Summary:
- Can The Bruins Thrive If No. 1 Goalie Swayman Sits On The Sidelines?
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