This always seemed like the natural move to make once Tuukka Rask returned, but now it’s official. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the team will roll with Rask and Linus Ullmark in Boston, and rookie goalie Jeremy Swayman will be sent to AHL Providence.
Swayman will report to Providence on Wednesday and is expected to play regularly there as he continues to develop. Meanwhile in Boston, Rask will be on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate after signing a one-year, $1 million deal on Tuesday. Sweeney said Rask will back up Ullmark Wednesday night against Montreal, with the timing of his first start still to be determined.
No one is surprised by the news of Swayman being sent down, including him. That doesn’t mean it’s an easy pill to swallow, though. Swayman has proven he can play in the NHL. After a lights-out 10-game sample last spring, Swayman has evenly split the Bruins’ 32 games this season with Ullmark, and has put up comparable numbers to the veteran.
Swayman is 8-6-2 with a .918 save percentage and 2.26 goals-against average, while Ullmark is 11-5-0 with a .917 save percentage and 2.57 GAA.
Sweeney acknowledged that Swayman was “disappointed” but “not overly surprised.” He also shared some of his conversation with and message to Swayman, including addressing the mental side of the news and guarding against any sort of letdown.
“I’m not going to share all of my conversation that I had with Jeremy today, but it was certainly one of the things we touched upon,” Sweeney said. “Having driven 95 North over the course of my time, a long time ago, I understand the disappointments, especially when you feel like you’ve positioned yourself to be on an NHL team, you’ve had some success. It’s generally not a straight and linear path. Take the opportunity to work on your game and expand it, and realize that there’s challenges associated with everybody’s professional career. Jeremy, to his credit, recognizes all those things.”
Sweeney said one particular part of their conversation stood out, and was exactly what he wanted to hear from Swayman.
“I think the single biggest thing that came out of our conversation today was he just stared at me and said, ‘Well, if those two guys struggle, do I get the net?’ That’s what you want to hear from a player,” Sweeney said. “Any young player that has confidence in himself, and he’s had some success, and will accept the fact that he has some things to continue to work on -- but in a competitive environment that we’re trying to win, the best players are going to play. I don’t think Linus and Tuukka look at it any differently.
“Hopefully it’s just a bump in the road for him, it’s not a huge setback. It’s a matter of going and gaining some experience. It’s a situation where he has some areas in his game we’d like him to work on. He’s going to be a goalie for us for a long time. That’s ultimately what the message was.”
The P-Bruins’ next game is Friday night in Providence against Hartford.