The Bruins approach this year’s March 21st trade deadline in an interesting spot. On the one hand, they want to compete well in the postseason. They owe that to longtime stars Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.
But they also would like to keep a watchful eye on the future. The prospect pool isn’t that deep and life after Bergeron doesn’t seem so pleasant down the middle. It’s important the Bruins hold on to what they do have.
There is one prospect, however, that could be worth a lot in a trade and that’s goalie Jeremy Swayman.
Swayman has had quite the opening act to his NHL career. In 10 starts last season, he posted a 1.50 goals against average, .945 save percentage and managed to snag the backup job from Jaroslav Halak. This year, he’s posted a .918 save percentage and 2.26 GAA in 16 starts.
To make room for Tuukka Rask in Boston, Swayman was recently sent down to AHL Providence. He didn’t have to clear waivers, so sending the 23-year-old to the AHL wasn’t a very hard call for Bruins GM Don Sweeney.
Rask is in Boston for this season and Linus Ullmark is signed to share the Bruins crease through the 2024-25 season. Asking if the Bruins should consider dealing Swayman for something like a long-term second-line center or a top-four left-shot defenseman is a valid question.
But when the bigger picture is considered, the answer is a pretty clear “don’t do it.”
On the latest Bruins Beat, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub joined me to discuss this exact question. We also talked about the other Bruins trade assets and which players in the system were deemed “untouchable.” There were roughly three.
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