Bruins Have Top Tier Goaltending Depth Extending To AHL, Beyond

Editorial note: Over the next four weeks, NESN.com will examine the Boston Bruins’ organizational depth. First up is goaltending.

The Bruins have plenty of depth between the pipes in Boston with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark as the top tandem in the NHL. Beyond the duo, the Bruins have several prospects that could fill the backup role on any given night.

Here’s a look at what each netminder has to offer, along with their status within the organization.

IN THE NHL
— Swayman elevated his game in the 2023-24 regular season by posting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage with three shutouts in 43 starts. With an overall record of 25-10-8, the Alaskan native faced the most shots of his career making 1,179 saves on 1,287 shots.

In the playoffs, Swayman bolstered a .933 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average. He won his first series when the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Swayman enters the offseason as a restricted free agent after signing a one-year, $3,475,000 contract following arbitration last year.

— Coming off his Vezina-winning season, Ullmark posted a 2.57 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage with two shutouts in the 2023-24 regular season. In 39 starts, Ullmark had a 22-10-7 overall record in his third season with Boston.

With Swayman getting the majority of the postseason starts, Ullmark made one start against the Maple Leafs in Game 2, which the Bruins lost 3-2.

Ullmark enters the offseason with one year remaining on his four-year, $20 million contract. The 30-year-old has a 15-team modified no-trade list in his contract.

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR
— Brandon Bussi played in 41 games for the Providence Bruins, the AHL affiliate of Boston, with an overall record of 23-10-5. The 25-year-old posted a 2.67 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. He faced 1,232 shots and made 1,125 saves, including 14-of-16 saves in the shootout.

In the Calder Cup playoffs, Bussi went 1-3 for Providence with his lone win coming via the shutout.

Bussi enters the offseason as a restricted free agent after signing a one-year $825,000 contract last season.

— Michael DiPietro played 30 games for Providence in the 2023-24 season, where he posted a .918 save percentage and a 2.51 goals-against average. He finished the season with an 18-9-2 overall record. He had four shutouts on the season.

The 24-year-old netminder has an annual cap hit of $775,000. He will become an unrestricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season.

IN THE PIPELINE
— Kyle Keyser has spent the last season splitting his time with the ECHL Maine Mariners and Providence Bruins. He played five games in Providence with a 3.45 goals-against average and a .873 save percentage. In 16 games for the Mariners, Keyser went 5-8-2 and posted a .868 save percentage and a 4.36 goals-against average. He became a restricted free agent following the 2023-24 season.

— Reid Dyck was drafted by the Bruins in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the last five seasons with the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL. In 2023-24, he played in 35 games for the Broncos, posting a 2.70 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage with two shutouts. He finished the season with an overall record of 25-7-2.

In the playoffs, Dyck gave up 30 goals in nine games for a 3.38 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.

Dyck can re-enter the NHL Draft if the Bruins elect not to sign him prior to June 1.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said signing Swayman to a new contract is a “priority” for Boston this offseason and intends on keeping the tandem of Swayman and Ullmark together next season.

“If we can make the math work, we’re going to have the best tandem,” Sweeney said at the Bruins’ end-of-season press conference on May 22. “If we can’t we’re going to explore. Linus may come to us and change his mind (about staying), but in a perfect world, I think we keep the tandem because it’s damn good.”