The Boston Bruins have been quiet lately and training camp will begin at the Warrior Ice Arena in about a month. GM Don Sweeney still has one task ahead of him, namely signing goalie Jeremy Swayman for the future. The young goalie recently spoke about his contract status and everything continues to point in a positive direction, including last weekend.
“That’s me,” Swayman said. “I believe that experience is the key to everything and to getting through things.”
“I’m gaining just as much experience now as I did last year, with very different approaches. And we know it’s a business. Sometimes it’s unfortunate, but I know that at the end of the day I’m going to play hockey. And I really hope it’s the Boston Bruins.”
Contract negotiations can get tricky in sports, and both players and managers know that. However, things got pretty ugly between Swayman and the Bruins last summer, and neither wanted to go through that again. That’s probably why neither ended up filing for arbitration. It’s imperative that the Bruins sign him, as they traded Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators and got the struggling Joonas Korpisalo back in the deal, and the other goalie on the roster is Brandon Bussi.
As good as Bussi is, Boston cannot start the season with a combination of Korpisalo and Bussi. If that happens, the Black and Golds’ once very strong position would be significantly weaker and that would not be good.
Last season, Matthew Poitras and John Beecher were two young players who made the opening night roster and ended up contributing big. Poitras’ season ended in February after shoulder surgery, but Beecher played in 52 games between the regular season and the playoffs. He even scored the first goal of the Black and Gold’s first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“I think overall it was a pretty big accomplishment,” Beecher said. “I think at the beginning of the season not a lot of people really expected me to make the opening night squad and make an impact. I did that, which was huge for me and my confidence. And of course there were some ups and downs.”
Yes, there were some ups and downs, but the former University of Michigan standout finished the regular season and playoffs with a total of seven goals and 10 assists. However, he continued to improve and there were nights when he was arguably their best option on faceoffs.
Boston got Mark Kastelic along with Korpisalo in exchange for Ullmark from the Senators, and he’s someone who will challenge Beecher for a spot on the final six roster this season along with Max Jones, who was signed as a free agent from the Anaheim Ducks. Beecher’s best position in the lineup is center rather than wing, but his speed and ability to kill penalties and be good at the faceoff spot are what Jim Montgomery needs in his lineup in 2024-25. Hopefully Beecher is more consistent next season.
