David Pastrnak was getting a ton of love from Boston Bruins fans and experts around the league this season for what he was able to do without a whole lot of help from his forward group. Some players overachieved, but it seemed like whatever line Pastrnak was on had some level of production, and he elevated players like Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov whenever that line reconnected.
Jeremy Swayman is another player whose value wasn't lost on fans, and the voters recognized him with a Vezina Trophy nomination, but he wasn't a name that came up much in MVP discussions. It might have been only two fifth-place votes, but Swayman's inclusion on the Hart Trophy voting puts a final bow on his resurgence this past season.
BREAKING: Nikita Kucherov has won the Hart Trophy, as the most valuable player to his team. Full voting table as selected by the PHWA. #GoBolts #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/0Tfdz6UxTD
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) June 11, 2026
Some fans were ready to write Swayman off during the 2024-25 season thanks to his controversial contract holdout and subsequent failures in his first season as the main goaltender in Boston. However, the goaltender picked himself up, shook himself off, and was rock solid for the Bruins this season, leading them into the playoffs and nearly past the Buffalo Sabres with his early-series performances.
Swayman was near the top of the league all season in goals saved above expected, highlighting that the players in front of him weren't doing a whole lot to help him out, and he was bailing them out on many nights. The defense took an even uglier turn in the playoffs, ultimately leaving people to wonder how Swayman was able to play so well all season with this group in front of him.
At least two voters recognized what Swayman was contributing night-in and night-out. With the rock-solid Boston defenses of the past, it would've been easy to overlook his season, but this year was different in that area and at least two people who watched it realized that and gave Swayman the proper recognition.
With a third-place finish in the Vezina Trophy voting and MVP votes, Bruins fans can paint Jeremy Swayman in a much different light than they did 12 months ago.
