Whenever or however this playoff season ends for the Bruins, it sure looks like Jeremy Swayman, the 111th pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, has taken full ownership of his 24 square feet of territory as the franchise’s No. 1 goaltender.
OK, fine, go ahead and say it . . . duh!
But hold on, because what may seem so painfully obvious at this hour, with Swayman’s name already being bandied about as a Conn Smythe candidate, was still a matter of some debate as the playoffs approached. Remember those days of yore, when everyone was asking coach Jim Montgomery how he’d divvy up the job between Swayman and Linus Ullmark?
At this hour, though, midway through the series against the Panthers, it appears Sway is the way for the Bruins. That was underscored after Game 1 in Florida when Montgomery, summing up his decision to run Swayman out there for a sixth consecutive start, said, “When a guy’s playing that well, it’s like, don’t outsmart yourself.”
Swayman is 25 years old. It’s hardly unheard of for a goalie so young to seize the No. 1 job, though slightly rarer to be the constant go-to guy in the playoffs.
What makes Swayman particularly rare in Bruins annals, in fact makes him unique, is that they drafted him, developed him, and now appear to have cultivated him as potentially the franchise’s Martin Brodeur, Marc-Andre Fleury, Patrick Roy or Henrik Lundqvist.
Now there’s aiming high, right? And why not? Go grande or go home. Brodeur, Roy, and Lundqvist already have their images hanging in the Hockey Hall of Fame. A plaque is on order for Fleury, who recently signed on for a 2024-25 farewell tour with the Wild.
All four made their names and became stalwarts with the clubs that drafted them. They were all wunderkinds (average age: 21) when they became full-fledged franchise stoppers, In fact, by age 25 all but Lundqvist had won the Cup and collectively had played in 164 playoff games. Going into Friday night’s Game 3 vs. the Panthers at the Garden, Swayman had made 16 career playoff appearances.
So, sure, it’s far too early to place Swayman among that group of illustrious goaltenders. He only this season posted a career-high 25 wins (now 84 total, including playoffs) and he has yet to be on a team to succeed beyond a first-round series.
But as of today, in this moment, Swayman stands as the club’s most successful goalie to be drafted, cultivated, and kept on the roster in the 60-plus-year history of the draft. The only true comparable is Eddie Johnston, who was signed by the Bruins in the pre-draft era and made his NHL debut in 1962-63, the season he turned 27. E.J. was their property from the start, spent 11 seasons on the Spoked-B roster, and twice has his name on the Cup as a Bruin (1970, ‘72).
In context, what we are witnessing with Swayman is something we’ve never seen in the Boston net: a kid they drafted, helped develop in college (Maine), develop further in the minor pros (Providence, 14 games total), and now have as their franchise stopper, potentially for a generation. That No. 1 on his back represents more than just a roster number.