Will the Swayman and Ullmark goalie hugs continue in Boston?

NHL All-Star Jeremy Swayman is going to be a restricted free agent. After the best season of his young career, carrying the Boston Bruins to Game 6 of the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, he’s earned a considerable pay increase on his next contract.

On Wednesday, Bruins’ General Manager Don Sweeney spoke to the media and discussed his netminder’s future while touching upon the potential of keeping his current duo together.

“It’s a priority now and it will continue to be a priority until we get that across the finish line,” Sweeney said. “He’s a big part of our current team and the run he went on in the playoffs, and our future.

“Our goaltending is arguably one of the best tandems in the NHL, and they proved it during the course of the season. They put us in a situation most nights to have an opportunity to win. The priority will be to find a landing spot with Jeremy.”

Boston spent $8.4 million between the pair in 2023-24, with Linus Ullmark making $5 million and Swayman collecting $3.475 million. After his performance in 2023-24, that number will increase significantly.

Bruins reportedly attempted to trade Linus Ullmark to the Los Angeles Kings in March

As outstanding as the duo of Swayman and Ullmark has been in the past three seasons, collecting a communicative 188-59-10 record since 2021, keeping both netminders for the long term might not make sense.

Ullmark was the starter in 2023-23, earning a 40-6-1 record and the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie. This past season, head coach Jim Montgomery did his best to keep an even split between the two, with Swayman only playing a few consecutive games when Ullmark missed time with an injury.

However, the goalie rotation ended quickly in the playoffs when Ullmark lost Game 2 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, which evened the series at 1-1. Without coming out publicly to state the obvious, Swayman started every game for the rest of the postseason, with Ullmark just skating 77:01, meaning the organization gave him the keys to the crease.

One of the main reasons it is believable that Ullmark is not the guy moving forward is because the Bruins reportedly had a deal to trade him to the Los Angeles Kings in March, only to have the netminder veto the deal.

Ultimately, with the deal’s details going public, Sweeney said Ullmark was available without standing at the podium to confirm his availability. However, it is surprising in the season-ending media scrum that the Bruins would be committed to both for the long haul.

Last summer, Winnipeg Jets’ netminder Connor Hellebuyck inked a new extension worth $59.5 million for seven years. As one of the best goalies in the league with a Vezina Trophy on his mantle, the numbers on his contract are a good reference point for Swayman’s next deal since he’s earned a higher win percentage in his first four seasons.

Now, after a one-year deal valued at $3.4 million, there’s a good chance he gets a bump in pay to double, so $6.8 for eight seasons would equal $54.4 million. Hellebuyck is on the books for $59 million, which means the Bruins netminder would be making about $5 million less.

At just 25, he could easily win a Vezina Trophy or two by the end of his deal, becoming one of the most bargain contracts in team history. But if those estimates become reality, Boston would have committed $11.5 million to two goalies, leaving no room in the finances to fill out the rest of the roster and remain competitive.

Considering Sweeney already dangled Ullmark to other teams, he’d be an incredible asset in moving and restocking the lineup with elite players. However, they can’t move forward with their offseason plans until the Bruins sign their young netminder to a new deal. His deal will make or break the budget, leading to events that could end the famous goalie hugs.