Jeremy Swayman was in an awkward position coming into the 2021-22 NHL season.
The Boston Bruins goalie was the odd man out when Tuukka Rask returned to the team after undergoing offseason hip surgery last summer. Swayman was waivers-exempt, so it made the most sense for him to go back to Providence.
This was known to Swayman, so he wasn’t taken by surprise. But his trip to Providence didn’t last long after Rask retired after 15 seasons after “lingering effects” from his surgery prevented the veteran from performing at the level he knew he was capable of.
Rask and Swayman didn’t get to spend a whole lot of time together, but it was enough for Rask to become a mentor to the rookie and offer him sound advice for his career.
“He has a lot of experience in the game. Obviously, at this level, it’s a lot of demand on travel. You know you’re going to have days off that are important so he’s just really open with how to make the most out of each day,” Swayman said in an interview with NHL.com “It’s still the game you love and make it simple for yourself. So again, he just really brought me down to earth and he was a really good mentor for that, explaining how it all kind of happens.”
As for getting set down to Providence during a time Swayman was playing well in the NHL, he just wanted to take all the positives he could get.
“I just wanted to take the positives out of every situation, was super happy to get the start up with the team and get some good games in,” Swayman said. “But obviously Tuukka, he’s going to come back and he’s going to perform, so I knew that that was a possibility. And he has every right to, he’s an incredible goalie and I’ve been really fortunate to create a great relationship with him as well off the ice. To see him retire officially was sad to see, but in a way I was excited for him. And I think he’s done a lot of great things for the game of hockey and obviously the Bruins, so it’s my job to step up now and make sure I’m doing whatever I can to help this team win games.”
Swayman has played well of late after getting called out by head coach Bruce Cassidy. Although the Bruins lost to the New York Rangers earlier this week, Swayman kept his team in the game.
There’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about Swayman and what the future holds for the goalie between the pipes.
