The National Hockey League announced [https://x.com/NHLBruins/status/2049519845205532801?s=20] Wednesday afternoon that Boston Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins] goaltender Jeremy Swayman [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins/latest-news/bruins-marco-sturm-shares-great-take-on-jeremy-swaymans-leadership] has been named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy. Swayman's nominated alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning]'s Andrei Vasilevskiy and the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders]' Ilya Sorokin for the award. The Vezina Trophy is awarded annually "to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at his position" as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs. Swayman posted a career year in net, notching a 31-18-4 record with a 2.71 goals-against average, a .908 save percentage, along with two shutouts. His 31 wins mark a career high, tied for fourth among NHL goaltenders in 2025-26, trailing only Vasilevskiy, Karel Vejmelka, and Jake Oettinger. Swayman led the league in games started with a save percentage above .900 (38) and finished the season with a .923 even-strength save percentage, tied for second among NHL goaltenders (minimum 10 games played). Moneypuck.com has Swayman with the second-most goals saved above expected [https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm], trailing only Logan Thompson. Any way you slice it, Swayman deserves this nomination. He's been the backbone of this Bruins team from day one, helping lead them back to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, along with being one of the very best players once there. The Anchorage, Alaska native seeks to become the fifth Bruin to win the award. Swayman would join Pete Peeters (1983), Tim Thomas (2009, 2011), and former teammates Linus Ullmark (2023) and Tuukka Rask (2014). Swayman would be the fourth-consecutive clear starting goalie for the Bruins to win the Vezina, an absurd statistic for the modern era, but one that showcases just how great it's been between the pipes for Boston in the last 20 years. Swayman is a perceived underdog behind both Sorokin and Vasilevskiy for the award, but frankly, there's a strong argument to be made that Swayman deserves the trophy outright.
