Jeremy Swayman

It's finally Swayman time in the Hub of Hockey. Gone is platoon-mate Linus Ullmark, which will give Bulldog his first shot at a 55-start season. The team was already Swayman's - he had the hot hand in the playoffs, delivering a 6-6 record, 2.25 GAA and .933 save percentage as the Bruins abandoned their rotation in a desperate bid to advance. The 25-year-old was elite in 2023-24, delivering a fifth-best GSAx (goals saved above expected) of 22.79. His .916 save percentage was the sixth-best among those with 25 games played or more, and his 2.53 GAA was eighth. Swayman will miss Ullmark - the two men were the best of friends - but he's more than ready to ascend into the NHL's upper tier of starters and carry your fantasy squad.

The biggest issue Swayman faced in 2022-23 was that he wasn't Linus Ullmark. How do you compete against a goaltender who posts a 40-6-1 record, 1.89 GAA and .938 save percentage in 49 contests? Well, if you're Swayman, you respond by putting together a strong campaign yourself with a 24-6-4 record, a 2.27 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 37 outings. Swayman is 24 years old and has the potential to be an elite goaltender, but for now his fantasy value will be somewhat limited. In a way, this feels a little like Tuukka Rask's early years competing with Tim Thomas for the crease. Like those early Rask years, Swayman is still an interesting option in standard leagues today, but his highest fantasy value comes out in keeper formats.

The Bruins gave Linus Ullmark a bunch of money in the summer of 2021 to serve as their No. 1 goaltender, but Swayman outplayed him for a good chunk of last season, turning it into a platoon situation. The 23-year-old Swayman played exactly half of Boston's 82 games in 2021-22, posting a 23-14-3 record, a 2.41 GAA, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts. Ullmark got the starting nod for the Bruins' first few postseason games before Swayman took over for the team's final five playoff contests. A similar split seems likely this season. Swayman is younger and far more likely to be the long-term answer for Boston, but Ullmark has the hefty contract working in his favor. The anticipated timeshare will likely limit the fantasy value of both goaltenders.

Swayman turned pro last season following three successful years at the University of Maine. He won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's top goaltender in his final collegiate season with the Black Bears, but few could have seen him playing at such a high level in the NHL immediately. Swayman split his season between the AHL (1.89 GAA, .933 save percentage) and NHL (1.50 GAA, .945 save percentage) last year and dominated at both stops. The Bruins walked away from long time goaltenders Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak this offseason, leaving Swayman in position to serve as the backup to newly signed Linus Ullmark in 2021-22. Ullmark has had significant injury issues in the past, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that the 22-year-old fourth-rounder (2017) will earn a significant share of the playing time for Boston this coming year.