Boston Bruins’ $66 Million Star Earns Top-5 NHL Ranking

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 01: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins prepares to play against the Buffalo Sabres in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - MAY 01: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins makes a save against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) GettyBUFFALO, NEW YORK - APRIL 28: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins looks on against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period in Game Five of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on April 28, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joe Hrycych/Getty Images) Getty

The Boston Bruins got some offseason validation for one of their cornerstone players.

Jeremy Swayman was ranked No. 5 on NHL Network’s “Top 10 Goalies Right Now” list released Aug. 17, placing him behind only Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, Shesterkin and Sorokin.

The ranking follows a bounce-back 2025-26 season that restored Swayman’s place among the NHL’s top goaltenders.

NHL Network’s list emphasized recent performance, particularly the 2025-26 regular season and 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and also weighed longer-term results and future upside.

The placement confirms the 27-year-old as one of the pillars of the club’s next phase.

Swayman’s Bounce-Back Earns League-Wide Recognition

GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MAY 01: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins makes a save against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period in Game Six of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden on May 01, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Swayman’s response to a strenuous 2024-25 campaign gave NHL Network enough to work with.

The Bruins goaltender went 31-18-4 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .908 save percentage across 55 games last season, setting a career high in victories.

His 1,426 saves ranked fifth in the league, while his 38 starts with a save percentage of .900 or better led all NHL goalies.

After a fairly large turnaround from the previous season, Swayman went 22-29-7 with a 3.11 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in 2024-25, when Boston missed the playoffs. NHL.com detailed the year-to-year improvement earlier this month.

He responded by helping the Bruins finish 45-27-10 and secure the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card berth in 2025-26. His regular-season work also earned him his first career Vezina Trophy finalist nod.

Boston’s season review of Swayman noted that his 31 wins tied for fourth among NHL goalies. He remained steady at home as well. NHL.com later reported that his .920 home save percentage led goalies who made at least 20 appearances on home ice.

Swayman also brought a strong track record into the year. He shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with Linus Ullmark in 2022-23 and has now recorded at least 20 wins in five consecutive seasons.

That broader body of work helped him finish one spot ahead of Logan Thompson and one spot behind Sorokin on NHL Network’s latest list.

Bruins Core Continues to Draw NHL Network Praise

GettyBUFFALO, NEW YORK – APRIL 28: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins looks on against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period in Game Five of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on April 28, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Joe Hrycych/Getty Images)

Swayman is the third major Bruins player to earn prominent recognition in NHL Network’s offseason countdown series.

David Pastrnak ranked No. 2 among the league’s top 20 wings on Aug. 2 after producing 100 points in 77 games last season. The 30-year-old reached the 100-point mark for a fourth consecutive season and finished with a career-high 71 assists. NHL.com’s complete wing rankings put only Nikita Kucherov ahead of him.

Charlie McAvoy followed at No. 11 on the network’s top 20 defensemen list. McAvoy set career highs with 61 points and 50 assists in 69 games, giving Boston another high-end season from one of its established leaders.

The three rankings offer a useful snapshot of where the Bruins stand heading toward 2026-27. Boston remains in transition around several younger pieces, but Swayman, Pastrnak and McAvoy give the roster proven stars at three premium positions.

NHL.com described the Bruins as a team attempting to take another step in its retool after returning to the playoffs last season. Swayman’s rebound provided more certainty in net, and his latest ranking reinforces how heavily Boston can continue to lean on him.

The next challenge is sustaining it. Swayman enters 2026-27 coming off the best win total of his career and his first Vezina finalist season. NHL Network now views only four goalies as better entering the new campaign.

For a Bruins team trying to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff picture while reshaping the roster around its core, that is a meaningful place to start.

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