Bruins' Offseason Goalie Plans Now Dictated by Playoff Decisions

The Boston Bruins have a credibility problem when it comes to their goalie situation.

They told us all season long that having two goalies was the strength of their team, and come playoff time they were very comfortable capitalizing on that position of strength by using both of their netminders in tandem, regardless of the results from night to night.

From February 21st through the end of the regular season (a 26-game stretch) Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman alternated turns as the starting goalie for the Bruins. It was a clear indication that the B’s were preparing to execute the plan that they had laid out - a straight platoon of their two top-tier goalies once the playoffs came around. Each guy was getting the requisite rest, the requisite reps, and the experience of playing every 4-5 nights and sitting in between while the other guy took his turn.

“We’re just going to keep going the way it is and I’m very comfortable with the rotation, even going into the playoffs,” Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery told NESN at the time. “Very comfortable with the rotation.”

It took two games before it all fell apart.

What Happened in the Playoffs

After Ullmark and the Bruins lost 3-2 in Game 2 to tie their first round playoff series against Toronto at 1, Swayman took his turn and won Game 3, 4-2.

Things seemed to be humming along. The Bruins were up 2-1 in the series, and it was Ullmark's turn to start in net and hopefully bounce back. No need to panic and pull the plug on the whole operation.

But the Bruins did. They couldn’t hold their water for even one game. All the talk of how lucky they were to have two outstanding goalies went out the window, and Swayman (the "hot goalie") got the start in Game 4. When the Bruins won 3-1, it was clear that the door had been fully slammed shut on the platoon idea. We never saw Linus Ullmark again in the playoffs, outside of some mop-up duty in the second round. Now we might not see him again in a Bruins uniform.

Jeremy Swayman was tremendous in these playoffs. Him playing every night is not the reason that the Bruins bowed out in six games to the Panthers in the conference semifinals. 

But Ullmark never got the chance to be tremendous. He was fine in the one game he started, and one can’t help but wonder if the Bruins had won 4-3 instead of losing 3-2, would Boston have continued the rotation? If Swayman had lost Game 3, even playing well, and the Bruins were down 2-1, I have to believe they would have stayed the course.

Could Swayman have used a blow after the Bruins allowed six goals in back-to-back games to fall behind Florida 2-1? Even though those blowout losses are hardly the fault of the goaltending, Boston could have taken it as an opportunity to slip back into their plan - to use the strength of the team to their advantage. Instead, they left the reigning Vezina trophy languishing on the bench. 

What it Means for the Offseason

Now, Boston has to make a decision about the future of their goalie room, and they can't fall back on their old trope to avoid doing the dirty work. They have to confront the fact that, despite their best intentions, they could not (and would not) stick to the plan of playing two goalies in the playoffs. To pretend any longer would only exacerbate the resources they have already wasted.

GM Don Sweeney kept both goalies at the 2023-24 trade deadline, instead of improving the team elsewhere, insisting that a goalie platoon was their secret weapon in the playoffs. (Although it should be noted that there are reports that Boston had a trade in place to send Ullmark to the LA Kings, but the goalie nixed the deal under his no-movement clause.)

Swayman went through arbitration last offseason and signed a one-year deal for $3.475 million, but will likely require a long term contract with an AAV north of $6 million for the Bruins to retain him in free agency.  Ullmark has one more year at $5 million before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2025.

The Bruins can’t carry $10 million-plus at just the goalie position, especially when they have shown that they can’t be trusted to use all of those assets to their fullest extent. 

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