Jeremy Swayman’s path to the Vezina Trophy just got a little clearer, but the goalie who may give him the toughest chase is an old familiar face.
Igor Shesterkin’s season-ending injury removed one of the award’s biggest contenders earlier this week, and while that is not the way Swayman would want to pick up his first top goaltender honor, it appeared Shesterkin was shaping up as the Boston Bruins netminder’s top threat.
That leaves a thinner field, though not an empty one. Jesper Wallstedt and Jake Oettinger have both been outstanding while helping their Central Division clubs get off to strong starts, but both still have to prove they can keep that level going over a full season.
Oettinger, who was a Team USA gold medalist alongside Swayman last season, has not consistently sustained that kind of pace across an 82-game season, now 84. Wallstedt may be emerging as the league’s best young goalie, but he still has to show he can carry it through an entire schedule.
Which brings the conversation back to Linus Ullmark.
The former Bruins goaltender and former Vezina winner looks like Swayman’s best competition at the moment. Ullmark won the award when he was part of the Bruins team that posted the best regular season in NHL history, with Swayman serving as his steady 1B partner in net. The two built one of the more memorable friendships of the early 2020s for Bruins fans before the organization eventually moved Ullmark in a trade that brought back a draft pick, top prospect Dean Letourneau, and fan favorite Mark Kastelic.
Now Swayman and Ullmark are on separate tracks, and their Vezina race could wind up being shaped by something bigger than individual numbers: playoff qualification.
Both goalies are already sitting inside the top five in goals saved above expected, and if either the Bruins or Senators reaches the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it will likely be because of the work their goalie has done. The standings picture makes that a real issue. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Florida Panthers, and possibly the Toronto Maple Leafs all look like teams that could occupy playoff spots by season’s end, which could leave only one opening for either Boston or Ottawa.
That matters because a goalie generally does not win the Vezina if his team misses the postseason. If Swayman or Ullmark manages to drag his club into the bracket, that could become the edge in a race that still has plenty of time left to unfold.
There is still a long road ahead, and Ullmark has become a rival again. But if the season ends with Swayman and his former partner standing side by side as Vezina finalists, Bruins fans would have a feel-good moment worth remembering.
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