The Bruins have already seen what Jeremy Swayman can do when he’s right, and the 2026-27 season will test whether that version is enough to keep Boston moving forward.
After a bounce-back 2025-26 campaign, Swayman enters another year as the clear No. 1 in net for a Bruins team that still has plenty to sort out. Michael DiPietro is set to back him up after earning the job in the NHL with an impressive season in Providence, but there’s no reason to expect anything close to a 50/50 split. As the starter, Swayman should still be in the 50-to-58 games range.
That workload comes with expectations. The Bruins are coming off a season in which they got back to the playoffs under new head coach Marco Sturm, but the bigger question is whether they can do it again - and whether they can do more than just sneak in. Will Borgen, Connor Clifton, and JJ Peterka are among the new faces who could shape where this team ends up in April.
Swayman’s path to this point has already included one rough detour. The 2024-25 season was a mess for him and for Boston, as he did not report to training camp because of a contract dispute and didn’t appear for the Bruins until the season opener in Florida, when he signed his new $66 million contract.
The Bruins missed the playoffs that year, finishing 33-39-10, and Joe Sacco was let go in June. Swayman’s numbers reflected the struggle: a 22-29-7 record, a 3.11 goals-against average, and an .892 save percentage.
He answered in 2025-26. In 55 games, Swayman went 31-18 with four overtime losses/shootout losses, posted a 2.71 GAA, a .908 save percentage, and recorded two shutouts. That performance brought him 46 votes for the Vezina Trophy and two votes for the Hart Trophy, and it helped push Boston to a 45-27-10 record, 100 points, and a fourth-place finish in the Atlantic Division.
The numbers underline why the Bruins trust him. His goals-saved above expected sat at 28.8 per MoneyPuck, a sign that he gave Boston a chance to win most nights he played. That matters for a team still trying to prove it belongs in the contender conversation after one playoff run.
But that’s also the warning label here. Swayman can stabilize the Bruins.
He can’t carry them by himself. If Boston wants a second straight trip to the postseason, it needs him to repeat last season’s level or better - while also getting more from the skaters in front of him.
That’s where the next step has to come from. The Bruins need young players to keep rising, the way Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov did last season. Peterka’s arrival should help ease some of that pressure, but the broader point remains unchanged: Swayman should be the foundation, not the crutch.
And if the Bruins are going to make real noise in a crowded Atlantic Division, they’ll need more than strong goaltending. They’ll need a roster that can do its share, because the 2025-26 team finished with 272 goals for, 250 goals against, and a 49.5 Corsi-for percentage. That’s not a group ready to lean on one man forever.
In Other News...
Bruins Camp Opens With One Immediate Offensive Decision To Make
Training camp opens this week with Marco Sturm still sorting out the Bruins roster and line combinations for the season opener against the Rangers, and one of the clearest early decisions centers on how to deploy a player who gives the lineup some much-needed flexibility. Boston brought in JJ Peterka in June, and his arrival adds another variable to the top-six mix as the staff begins mapping out who fits where, and for how long.
Peterkas versatility is part of what makes the choice interesting, since he can be slotted on either wing and could also factor into the power play if the Bruins decide his shot belongs in that mix. It is the kind of early camp puzzle that can shape everything else around it, from even-strength chemistry to special-teams balance, especially with Charlie McAvoy also drawing league-wide attention after being ranked 46th in TSNs top 50 NHL players list ahead of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Camp Opens With A Top Six Decision Hanging Over Everything
The Bruins open camp with a 42-man roster to sort through, but the biggest question is already clear enough: how they want their top six to look when the season starts. Before the club gets down to a 23-man roster for opening night, Boston has to use training camp and preseason games to figure out which combinations make the most sense, and whether the current mix can hold up once the real games begin.
Pavel Zacha sits right in the middle of that conversation, with his contract situation still hanging over the roster picture as the organization weighs short-term fit against longer-term flexibility. Add in Casey Mittelstadt, who is also in the final year of his deal, and the Bruins have a top-six puzzle that touches everything from the salary cap to the development path for younger forwards like James Hagens and Dans Locmelis. The decisions made over the next few weeks could shape not just this fall, but how Boston approaches the future. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Are Letting One Early Camp Frustration Grow Fast
Training camp has opened with one obvious piece missing from the Bruins usual dress code. Since Brad Marchand was traded in March, Boston has gone into the new season without naming a captain, and a recent preseason photo shoot only underlined the point as the leadership group seemed to spread more broadly across the room.
Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm all were shown wearing alternate captain patches, a sign of how the team is leaning on several voices at once. Still, no Bruins player wore the captains C, and with other NHL teams already setting their leadership for the year ahead, Bostons answer to that vacancy remains one of camps most noticeable unresolved issues. [Read more 🡒]