Jeremy Swayman already has a strong case for the Vezina Trophy, and the biggest reason is simple: he’s been doing more with less.
The Bruins goalie was the stabilizing force behind Boston’s turnaround last season, the kind of player who kept them afloat when the team in front of him wasn’t always airtight. That matters in a race like this. Voters notice the numbers, but they also notice who keeps bailing a team out when things get messy.
Swayman appeared in 55 games last season and finished with a 2.71 GAA and a .908 SV%. Those are solid marks on their own, but they look even better when you put them against the backdrop of a Bruins defense that wasn’t exactly locked down all year.
Time after time, he was the one rescuing Boston from trouble, stealing games that helped push the club into the postseason. He even came close to stealing the first-round series from the Buffalo Sabres in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The deeper numbers make the argument even louder. Swayman’s Goal Saved Above Expected sat at 28.78, which is a big-time figure.
Last season’s Vezina winner, Andrey Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, posted 24.74 Goals Saved Above Expected and 0.43 Goals Saved Above Expected per 60 minutes. Swayman’s rate was 0.53 per 60.
That’s the kind of detail that can move a goalie from the conversation into the front of the line. The source of the vote can matter, too, because veterans who bounce back often get the kind of attention that tilts awards races. But if Swayman matches last season’s level, the case gets harder and harder to dismiss.
A strong Bruins season paired with another year like the one Swayman just had could put him in position to make the rest of the field chase him. The article even draws a parallel to Zach Werenski, who last season pushed himself into voters’ minds over the usual names like Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar in Norris Trophy voting.
That’s the lane Swayman could be entering now. Another year like 2026-27, and he may not just be in the Vezina mix - he could be the goalie everyone else is trying to catch.
In Other News...
Bruins Make Key Behind The Scenes Changes Before Season 102
The Bruins have been busy behind the scenes as they prepare for their 102nd season, reshaping parts of the Hockey Operations department with a mix of promotions and new hires. Josh Pohlkamp-Hartt moved up to director of hockey analytics, while the organization also added amateur scouts Josh Cooper and Leland Mack and filled out staff support for the Providence Bruins with Cam Wolbach, Benjamin Snyder, Aidan Matthews and Amanda Feldman.
Dean Malkoc also has a new role after spending four years as associate director of amateur scouting, and Kyle Chauvette has taken on a particularly unusual combination of responsibilities within the organization. Those changes, along with the rest of the front-office additions, show Boston continuing to fine-tune the infrastructure around the roster before the new season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Peterka Already Changes How Dangerous Bostons Top Six Feels
JJ Peterka did not need long to show why the Bruins wanted his skill in the mix. In their latest game, he scored and helped drive the kind of quick, attack-minded shifts Boston has been looking for, a welcome jolt for a lineup that has often had to grind for offense. The Bruins still won 3-0 behind Jeremy Swaymans strong goaltending and a defense that held up without Charlie McAvoy, but Peterkas presence added a different layer to the forward group.
What makes the early return even more intriguing is where Peterka might fit as Boston keeps sorting out its best combinations. The Bruins are clearly trying to build chemistry that can make their top six feel more dangerous, and Peterka gives them a new piece to work with alongside established talent and a rookie still finding his place. If that alignment clicks, it could change the way opposing teams have to defend Boston every night. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Got The First Sign Their New Pieces Could Matter Fast
The Bruins did not need long to get a read on some of their newer faces Wednesday night at TD Garden, and the early answer was encouraging. Boston opened its season with a 3-0 win over the Rangers, with JJ Peterka and Mark Kastelic also finding the net and Mason Lohrei helping set up one of the key plays. In a game that stayed tight for most of the night, the Bruins got the sort of immediate contribution they had been hoping to see from pieces still settling into place.
Fraser Minten supplied the deciding goal, and the way Boston closed out the opener only added to the sense that the roster may already be finding some traction. Jeremy Swayman backed it up with a shutout against a Rangers team that had chances but could not solve him, while Igor Shesterkin was forced to handle repeated pressure at the other end. For a club looking to learn quickly what its new additions can bring, this was about as clean a first look as it could ask for. [Read more 🡒]