6 Trade Landing Spots for Jeremy Swayman Amid NHL Rumors

After a bitterly disappointing 2024-25 season that saw them finish with one of the worst records in the NHL, the Boston Bruins need a reset.

They might not need a full-scale rebuild, but a change could help get them moving in the right direction.

One of the biggest issues they had this season was the fact that their goaltending took a gigantic step backward from previous seasons.

Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators in a salary-cap clearing trade, while Jeremy Swayman had the worst season of his career in his first attempt at being the unquestioned starter.

The 26-year-old's season was a mess from the very beginning after an extensive contract negotiation spilled into training camp and the preseason. He was never able to get fully on track, and things simply went poorly all year.

Is that performance a fluke? Or is it a sign that maybe the Bruins made a poor investment by signing him to an eight-year, $66 million contract?

No matter what it is, if the Bruins were looking to get out of the deal or simply make a change to their core, they have one year to consider moving Swayman before a no-movement clause kicks in during the 2026-27 season. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman has speculated that teams around the league may kick tires on the Boston netminder on his 32 Thoughts podcast.

Given that, as well as the fact that this is a weak year for goalies in free agency, there could be a market for him if they decided to shop him.

So let's look a few potential landing spots if the Bruins were to go in that direction.

This would be a very un-Hurricanes-like move simply because they do not tend to make major investments in goalies and look for cheaper, more cap-friendly options.

But with veteran Frederik Andersen set to become an unrestricted free agent and the club taking some bigger swings at personnel moves the past couple of years (Jake Guentzel, Mikko Rantanen), they might have some interest in trying to add a high-profile goalie, especially if this year's playoff run does not result in a championship or Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Goaltending is one of the few question marks the Hurricanes tend to have, and Swayman might do well playing behind a team that defends the way it does.

It would be an expensive investment, but they could have some interest.

Chicago needs help all over its roster, and it could really use some sort of proven, established goalie. They also have the type of salary-cap space that would be needed to take on Swayman's contract, as well as plenty of trade capital in the form of young prospects, young NHL players and draft picks who might entice the Bruins.

There has to be some pressure for the Blackhawks to do something this offseason to speed up their rebuild.

They have Connor Bedard and a lot of young talent around him, but they won fewer games in year two of his career than they did in the year they tanked to position themselves to get him.

That's a problem, and it's not the way this thing is supposed to be progressing.

They have to start getting better, and a significant goalie upgrade would be a good way to help move in that direction and potentially mask some of the short-term flaws.

It would not hurt to call and make an offer.

Speaking of teams under pressure but starting to get better, let's talk about the Detroit Red Wings.

They have missed the playoffs nine years in a row, with six of those years coming under general manager Steve Yzerman. Everybody in Detroit has been patient, but some of that might be wearing thin, especially after they did so little at this year's trade deadline.

There are a lot of problems all over this roster, from their 5-on-5 offense, to their overall defensive approach, to the fact that they simply haven't really found a steady answer in goal.

The Red Wings do have two veterans (Petr Mrazek and Cam Talbot) under contract for a couple of years, and they have some strong goaltending prospects coming up through the system with Sebastian Cossa leading the way.

That might not make them an ideal landing spot.

But neither Mrazek nor Talbot is any sort of a long- or short-term option, while prospects in goal can tend to be extremely hit-and-miss. Projecting their performance long-term is an inexact science.

Even if Cossa does pan out, having two good goalie options in the NHL for the long term isn't a bad thing.

The bottom line is the Red Wings were 22nd in all-situations save percentage this season as a team, and it was a big part (even if not the only part) of their goal-prevention issues.

Now we're talking.

If there is a team that is going to be in the market for a blockbuster goalie move this offseason, the Oilers have to be near the top of the list.

It is a position that has been a weakness for years, and they have not made a meaningful attempt to fix it since signing Jack Campbell in free agency a few years ago (a move that did not go well for anybody).

Stuart Skinner keeps proving he is not the answer, and they can't keep going more years with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl without winning a championship.

Here's an idea: The Oilers need goaltending help. The Bruins need center help. Something centered around Swayman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins? Yes? No? Maybe?

Just an idea.

The need is there, but the free-agent options and realistic trade options are not. It would be a name worth exploring if you are the Oilers.

In what is a tale as old as the franchise, the Philadelphia Flyers had a goaltending issue during the 2024-25 season.

A major goaltending issue.

It is probably the one thing that kept them from competing for a playoff spot and taking a big step forward in their rebuild.

If you look at the Flyers' overall performance, they were statistically one of the better defensive teams in the league in terms of suppressing scoring chances and expected goals. They were outstanding in all of those areas and played at the level you would expect to see from a playoff team.

What held them back was a goaltending performance that was just comically bad. They not only had the worst 5-on-5 and all situations save percentage numbers in the league, but there was also nobody else even remotely close to them.

A goaltending upgrade would not turn them into Stanley Cup contenders overnight, but it might turn them into a legitimate playoff contender. The problem is they just don't have many realistic options to pursue this offseason. That is why if the Bruins were willing to listen to offers for Swayman, they should be one of the first teams picking up the phone.

Big-time goalie additions have not always worked out well for the Flyers, but they can't let past failures prevent them from trying. They need something here.

It would not be a shock if Utah tried to make a big splash somewhere on its roster this offseason.

This is quickly becoming an intriguing team given its new ownership, fanbase and talent that has been assembled. Utah made two big investments a year ago to upgrade the defense with Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino, and it's putting together a good core of young forwards.

While the goaltending is not a huge liability, it could stand to be better.

Utah was 19th in all-situations save percentage during the 2024-25 season, and it would come down to how much the franchise trusts Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram to solidify the position in the future.

Both players are under contract for next season, but neither is so much of a difference-maker that they should turn down the opportunity to look for an upgrade.