Bruins Claim Goalie off Waivers: Is Jeremy Swayman Done in Boston?

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Daniel Lucente
October 2, 2024 (3:01 PM)

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The Boston Bruins have just claimed goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers, further sounding the alarm bells that Jeremy Swayman's time there could be over.

The Boston Bruins add some important pieces to their goaltending lineup just ahead of the regular season of 2024-2025 in the NHL. With the contract negotiation between the Boston Bruins and their presumed starting goalie Jeremy Swayman, a restricted free agent, still completely stalled, they have named veteran Joonas Korpisalo as their starter to begin the season. This move has also left the Bruins needing another experienced goaltender to stabilize their depth between the pipes.

Fortunately for the Bruins, the Vancouver Canucks had just such a goalie available at just the right time. According to Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins claimed Jiri Patera off waivers from the Canucks. Patera was set to begin his first season with Vancouver, which itself has struggled with goaltending in camp and could have given him an opportunity at significant playing time.

This move came out of left field and gave Patera a new chance to leave his mark in Boston and maybe steal some ice time away from Joonas Korpisalo. It has also further fueled the debate about whether Jeremy Swayman's time in Beantown is over.

Jiri Patera was originally drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights back in the sixth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He's got the size many teams like to see in the crease, standing 6'3" and just about 220 pounds, but does come with a great amount of potential. He followed decent stints in the WHL with a professional start in the Czech Extraliga.

Working his way through the Golden Knights' system, he spent some time in the ECHL before playing parts of three seasons in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights. In 2022-2023, he had a decent showing, starting 31 games and going 14-15-1.

Jiri Patera does have some NHL experience, which, while limited, has shown some promise. He made his NHL debut during the 2022-2023 season, which was his best professional campaign so far, and won both games he played. Last season, however, Patera struggled in his six appearances with the Golden Knights, managing just a 1-3-1 record with a 3.98 goals against average (GAA).

Moving to the Bruins, Patera is lined up to be Joonas Korpisalo's backup in the current scenario, making Boston struggle to find a proven NHL starting goaltender for now with the negotiation over Jeremy Swayman dragging on with no end in sight.

The story around Jeremy Swayman gets murkier, more so since Bruins' president Cam Neely floated a very loud insinuation that management had a $64 million contract offer out, after which the agent for Swayman, Lewis Gross, promptly denied it. This back-and-forth has fostered speculation over the possibility of Swayman being traded, and a number of teams are rumored to be interested in acquiring him, including Chicago, Vegas, and Utah as the three main front runners.

Now, with Jiri Patera in the mix, the Bruins have more options, which makes a Jeremy Swayman trade all the more likely, though it's still anybody's guess whether a deal comes together or whether Boston can reconcile with their number one netminder. One thing's for sure, the crease in Boston looks a whole lot more different now than it did at this very moment last year, and it's definitely a concerning time to be a Bruins fan.