For the first time since 2011, the Bruins will open a new season without Tuukka Rask in net.
And after three weeks of training-camp reps and six total preseason games, a rookie is going to get the nod in net for Saturday’s opener against the Dallas Stars.
Following Friday’s practice, Bruce Cassidy finally revealed his hand when it came to sorting through Boston’s goalie corps — with Jeremy Swayman getting the call this weekend over his veteran counterpart in Linus Ullmark.
“We met with the goalies this morning — kind of mapped out where we were with that and our thought process,” Cassidy said. “Linus understood and we need both goaltenders. One day at a time and we'll go from there."
Swayman, who impressed down the stretch last season as a surprise call-up with Boston — posting a 7-3-0 record with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage over 10 outings.
Despite Swayman’s evident potential, Ullmark sure seemed like the logical pick to open the season for Boston, especially after the club handed him a four-year, $20 million contract back in August.
But after a lackluster showing in the preseason for Ullmark, the door remained open for Swayman to seize the starting spot out of camp — with the 22-year-old goalie stopping 68 of the 73 shots he faced in preseason action to edge Ullmark for the starting gig.
BSJ Analysis
As we mapped out once preseason action concluded last week, Swayman getting the start on Saturday shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, at least as far as on-ice merit is concerned.
When the time came to make a decision between both goalies, the only things working in Ullmark’s favor were his veteran status and his $20 million contract — with the optics of Boston turning to a rookie instead of their potential No. 1 netminder festering some doubt among fans in terms of whether Ullmark was the proper signing for the club this summer.
But looking beyond things such as tenure and contracts, Swayman was far and away the better option based on preseason action — with the rookie edging Ullmark in just about every potential stat and metric.
By the time Boston wrapped preseason play last week, Ullmark had relinquished 10 goals on 62 shots (an .839 save percentage) over the span of three game — with only Devils goalie Jonathan Bernier surrendering more tallies at the time with 11.
During even-strength play, Ullmark ranked 44th among 48 goalies (min. 60 minutes TOI) in goals saved above average at -2.35, while his high-danger save percentage of .667 ranked 45th among that same pool of talent.
Of course, three lackluster preseason games do not make or break a player’s entire campaign — and the Bruins expected a bit of a slow start for Ullmark when it came to shaking off the rust and adjusting to a new team and system.
But in the short-term, Swayman offered the best chance for Boston to win on Saturday, as his play this fall sure hasn’t dropped that much from his sterling showing back in the spring.
Along with his .932 save percentage in preseason play, Swayman’s goals saved above average of 2.56 ranked second overall among that group of 48 netminders.
"I think we obviously knew what he was capable of last year, but it's a new year,” Cassidy said. "You sort of say, 'Hey, how did he spend his summer?' Does he have the attitude of 'Well, I've arrived now', or, 'Hey, I'm fighting for the net every night and I want to be good in practice,' and it was obviously the latter.
“He's a great kid in that way. So for us, I didn't think it would be a big concern. You just don't know from year to year. He's a young guy, but he was here early in camp working on his game and getting ready for the season. He played very well in the preseason and hopefully that carries over tomorrow."
Swayman supplanting Ullmark for Saturday’s game likely isn’t how the B’s drew it up at the start of camp, but it’s important to keep the takes measured as far as the future rotation between the two.
Swayman’s start doesn’t mean that it’s going to suddenly be a 60/40 split between rookie and veteran — with the B’s expected to divide the reps rather evenly between the two through at least October to see how both fare.
Setting expectations for goalies is often a perilous venture, and for the Bruins to be at their best this season in a post-Rask era, they’re going to need both goalies to pull their weight — and support one another when they inevitably hit some bumps in the road.
"We are teammates — that's the best part about it all,” Swayman said of competing with Ullmark. “We want what's best for the team. Everyone that wears the Spoked B knows the same thing. It’s a high-competitive locker room.
“We understand that if we compete against each other, it's going to make the team better. So I think that's our mindset — Linus and I. We're great friends and he's a great person. I love competing with him every day and whatever we can do to help the team win, that's what we're going to do."