The Boston Bruins’ goaltending has been in the conversation a lot in the past few weeks. Both Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman are off to terrific starts to their season and are arguably the best goaltending tandem in the league right now. But the conversation has not simply revolved around how talented they are.
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At one point over the offseason, some thought there was a chance Ullmark could get traded. He was coming off his Vezina Trophy win, and entering the third year of his current contract that carries an average annual value of $5 million. In the third year of his contract, his no-move clause turns into a modified no-move clause, meaning that if the Bruins wanted to trade him, they now could. It was thought that the team could leverage him into a top-six center, as with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, there was real concern about the state of the center position for the team.
No trades came to fruition. Now though, a month into the 2023-24 season, trade talk has popped up again. It’s important to note that the Bruins don’t actually seem to be interested in trading him, and the talk has really more emerged as a point of conversation and a wondering of “what if.”
Even then, the Bruins should not be interested in hearing any offers on Ullmark, right now. With the state of the team and his play so far this season, there is no need to even consider a trade.
The Best Goalie Tandem in the NHL
Goaltending has been the strongest area for the Bruins so far in 2023-24. Swayman and Ullmark have been the biggest contributors to the team’s 11-1-1 start, putting them first in not only the standings for the Atlantic Division, but overall in the NHL. This is coming in a season where many thought this may be the time they miss the playoffs. It’s obviously still very early, but safe to say, that this team is once again a Stanley Cup competitor, and it’s in large part due to the goaltending.
Ullmark currently has a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.30 and a .926 save percentage (SV%). He has a 5-1-1 record. His GAA is good for 9th in the league, and his save percentage is 10th.
Swayman has a .952 SV% and 1.49 GAA, leading the NHL in both stats. He has won all six of his starts this season, including one in the shootout.
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The Bruins’ goaltending is just plain awesome right now, and there is no reason to mess with it, particularly this early in the season. Yes, the team has a pretty good goaltending prospect in Brandon Bussi, who has a .915 SV% and 2.65 GAA playing for the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL). But, it’s not necessarily outstanding enough to feel completely confident that he’d be able to replicate Ullmark’s success at this point.
State of Bruins’ Roster
The Bruins have a pretty decent roster right now, and there isn’t an immediate need for a top-six center like it seemed there was over the summer. They may not have the most jaw-dropping of names, but they have guys who are playing well and playing well together. Pavel Zacha has been good on the first line with David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. All three players are currently in the top five point scorers on the team, with Pastrnak and Marchand obviously being one and two once again. Matthew Poitras, the surprise of the season, is holding down the second-line center spot and is getting better by the week. His success has also allowed Coyle to stay on the third line, where he is excelling, and rookie John Beecher has been solid as the fourth-line center.
So, while there are plenty of centers around the league that the Bruins would love to have, the need isn’t immediate enough to warrant a huge trade. Frankly, looking long term, getting Poitras the top-six minutes he’s receiving right now will be invaluable for his development. Bergeron was an elite talent, and there is little possibility of them being able to trade for someone of his caliber at this point, so it’s better to keep Poitras in that spot.
With the area of most concern this offseason in a good spot right now, there is no immediate need for a player of the caliber a Ullmark trade would return. Yes, the current injury situation is a concern, but they have weathered it well so far with only one loss to the Detroit Red Wings.
The strength of the Bruins’ roster is goaltending, and it does not need to be messed with at this moment to try and strengthen other areas of the roster when they are honestly doing quite well as they are. Plus, if anything has been learned from the 2023-24 season so far, even teams with the top offensive talents in the world are nothing without good goaltending.
If there is an area that needs addressing later on, well, they still have a first-round pick in 2025 to trade away. With Don Sweeney’s draft history, he honestly seems to do better in later rounds than the first round anyway.
Stick to the Status Quo
Ullmark and Swayman are winning this team games, and have consistently been two of the best players on the ice. There is no glaring weak spot in the roster at this point that could prevent the Bruins from being a contender that would even warrant a trade of Ullmark a necessity. Even then, it would have to be a really big need and a big return.
Also, while Ullmark’s name has been the one tossed around the most in potential trade thoughts, it should go without saying that the same arguments and thinking goes for Swayman as well. He is another guy that is sure to be desirable for a number of organizations around the NHL. But there is really no trade that could be proposed that would make sense for the Bruins’ organization to part with him, especially since he is younger and should be the future in net for seasons to come.
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Depending on how 2023-24 goes, maybe it’ll be worth hearing some trade offers in the offseason, but trading Ullmark at this point would be one of the worst things the Bruins could do and would warrant calls for Sweeney’s job. Good goaltending can win championships. There’s a reason the majority of the teams at the bottom of the standings right now do not have solid goaltending even though they may have a top, elite offensive player. A healthy Ullmark and Swayman will be a difference maker for the Bruins this season.