BOSTON — Jeremy Swayman thought he had to do it all. He thought he had to be it all.
The starting netminder and leading voice of the Boston Bruins. The financial standard-bearer for goaltenders seeking new contracts across the NHL. A future Olympian.
But in his attempt to take on the world, Swayman succumbed to the weight of his own high expectations.
Turns out, all he ever had to do was his job.After posting the worst numbers of his young but already accomplished career during what was an outright disastrous campaign for the Bruins in 2024-25, Swayman has begun anew this year with a simplified approach.
Through 17 appearances so far, Swayman has a record of 11-6-0 with a 2.62 goals-against average, and a .915 save percentage. His 19.4 goals saved above expected ranks first among the 36 goalies who’ve started a minimum of 12 games this season, according to MoneyPuck.
“Just one shot at a time, brother,” Swayman said. “I’m just excited to be a part of it. I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this team, playing in this league. That gratitude really overwhelms me. I like to play with that gratitude, and that happiness.”
Swayman’s attitude has been contagious within the Bruins’ dressing room. During Swayman’s 1o starts in the month of November, the team went 7-1-2 as he stopped 93.5 percent of the pucks that came his way and allowed just 2.06 past him per game.
“You guys feel it, the fans, everyone upstairs, feels it, and, most importantly, our players feel it,” said Bruins head coach Marco Sturm. “It’s such a good feeling when you have that. All year long, since day one when I met him, he’s been rock solid, off the ice and on. The calmness he brings in every game, giving us a chance to win, it’s a good feeling.”
Swayman has looked especially dialed in over his last three appearances.
Against the Sharks on Nov. 23, he kept the Bruins in striking distance while all his teammates could do in front of him was form a line to the penalty box. He followed that up by setting a new career single-game high of 44 saves Wednesday night on Long Island, and then led Boston to a 3-2 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday, stopping all three shots he faced in the skills competition.
“I feel like he was staring us down after every save he made,” Mark Kastelic said. “It seemed like he was in the zone, or a flow state, or whatever he was in. We all feed of his confidence. He’s so confident right now. That allows us to focus on doing our jobs. When he’s back there, we have all the faith in him.”
Most importantly, Swayman seems to have faith in himself once again.
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Never short on words, Swayman has always evoked confidence whenever he’s spoken, even when he hasn’t through his play. Now, the versions of Swayman both on ice and off the ice are aligned.
“You look at things, and you got a choice in how you react to any situation,” said Swayman. “Making the right choice, I think, it’s helped me a lot with confidence and getting things done the right way. Having my own self culture, making sure I’m living the way that I want to live, and treating others how I want to be treated, I think it’s been a full circle kind of ordeal.”
No longer does Swayman feel like he has to carry the world on his shoulders. No longer does it feel as if he’s focused on everything except for what’s being asked of him.
He’s doing what he needs to do. No more, and no less.
“I just want him to concentrate on stopping the puck, basically,” Sturm said. “We have a lot of other guys who can act as leaders. For him, it’s okay, you have one job to do. That’s something he kind of went back to. He doesn’t have to worry about anything else, just himself and playing good hockey.”
If Swayman keeps it up, he may just in fact receive everything he’s ever wanted.
“It’s a life goal of mine to be on the Olympic team,” said Swayman. “I do know that if I do my job with the Boston Bruins, it’s going to put me in a good position to be there one day. I’m just going to stick to my day-to-day life here, and hopefully it works out the right way.”
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