Last year, the goaltending duo of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman took home the Jennings Trophy for having the lowest goals against average in the regular season among all 32 NHL teams. So what impact will all of the changes to the Bruins roster in front of them have on their potential for a repeat this year?
KEY UPDATES: There was enough drama in other parts of the roster construction this offseason, so the goaltenders decided to sit this one out with the key NHL guys already signed through this upcoming season. Depth goaltender Michael DiPietro did earn a one-year contract extension back in July to shore up the depth chart a bit, but otherwise, this was the position the Bruins had to worry about the least this season.
DEPTH CHART:
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
Michael DiPietro
OUTLOOK:
Is this another Jennings Trophy tandem this season, or was the Patrice Bergeron Selke prowess that pronounced that the goaltending in Boston comes back down to earth? A lot of that may not be in the control of the goaltenders themselves, as defense is a 6-person job on the ice (the three forwards, the two defensemen, and the goaltender). Some clarity will be needed to understand the defensive responsibility of the new forward group, but the system seems to lend itself to giving the goaltenders easier workloads than a more open, run-and-gun style where the last goal scoring team wins the game 6-5.
The only real intrigue remains how the tandem is deployed this year. Last season, Ullmark ended with 49 games played while Swayman had 37. Will one end up more as a true starter with the associated work load or is the 1A/1B deployment key to keeping both fresh for what the Bruins hope is another playoff appearance and deeper run than their shocking first round exit last year?
One thing is for certain: there is a 100% chance of more goalie hugs.
