Jim Montgomery opens door to wild Opening Night possibility for Bruins
For just over a week now, the Bruins have operated with the idea that it would be Joonas Korpisalo who got the nod as their Opening Night starter against the Panthers. That wasn’t just internally either. In fact, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery outright said it during their Media Day press conference.
But with Jeremy Swayman signed to a $66 million contract Sunday and back on the ice for his first practice with his teammates Monday down in Florida, Montgomery has opened the door to a potentially wild change of plans in a banner-raising night at Sunrise’s Amerant Bank Arena.
“He has so much great energy, and I thought that that elevated the practice,” Montgomery told reporters when asked about Swayman’s first practice. “I thought he looked sharp.
“He’s the potential goalie [Tuesday] night.”
That’s a notable change from Montgomery’s comments on the topic a week ago, with the third-year Bruins coach noting that Swayman would need multiple practices to get ramped up for NHL game action and that the clock had already ticked beyond the point where he would be ready for Game 1. Now, whether that was a negotiating tactic or not (and that press conference seemed full of ’em) is now a legitimate question with that idea seemingly thrown out the window by Montgomery after just one skate.
But the 25-year-old Swayman was quick to note that he wasn’t just sitting at home doing nothing during his contract standoff with the Black and Gold front office.
“I feel ready to play,” Swayman said following Monday’s practice in Florida. “I’ve put myself in that position. I’ve had, again, great training over at [Boston University] during this training camp. I feel like I put myself in a really good position to be ready to perform when I get my name called.”
When asked if that could be Tuesday, Swayman offered a “I hope so” with a smile.
If the Bruins go with Swayman, it will (obviously) be his first game action since Game 6 against the Panthers in the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which came back on May 17.
But if they go with Korpisalo, it will make the Finnish-born goaltender the first B’s goalie to make their first start with the team on Opening Night since Manny Fernandez in 2007, and would be a solid reward for him after a preseason that saw him make 66 saves on 73 shots faced over three games of work.
The Bruins come into Tuesday’s game against the Panthers with five straight wins on Opening Night, with their last Game 1 loss coming back in 2018. Oddly enough, that Opening Night loss was also a banner-raising night for Boston’s opponent, as the Capitals celebrated their 2018 Stanley Cup championship before beating the Bruins by a 7-0 final.
Bruins announce Opening Night roster
May 8, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Boston Bruins right wing David Pastrnak (88) looks on against the Florida Panthers during the third period in Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro/USA TODAY Sports)
Beginning at the top of their roster, the Bruins are going to roll with a first line that slots Lindholm between Pavel Zacha on the left wing and David Pastrnak at right wing. If Lindholm can help stabilize the center position and give that line yet another threat, Pastrnak could and should get back in the Hart Trophy conversation as a legitimate contender to those outside of Boston. And that’s a scary thought considering that he was arguably more important to the Bruins’ success last year than he was in 2022-23 when he was an actual finalist for the honor awarded to the player judged to be the most valuable player to their team.
You can expect that line to get a ton of offensive-zone minutes out of the gate.
And just below that top line, the Bruins will roll with a second line that slots Morgan Geekie to the right of Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle in what projects to be a do-it-all line for Jim Montgomery’s squad.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 11: Trent Frederic #11 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the third period against the Washington Capitals at TD Garden on April 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Down the lineup, the Bruins are projected to open up their season with a third line that features Max Jones at left wing, Justin Brazeau at right wing, and Trent Frederic at center. Their fourth line, meanwhile, will feature Johnny Beecher, Mark Kastelic, and Cole Koepke to begin the season.
Koepke is perhaps the lone surprise of this group based on offseason projections, but Koepke certainly earned the gig out of camp, as he was a constant factor whenever deployed during the preseason.
The group will also have Riley Tufte hanging around as the proverbial 13th forward.
Apr 4, 2024; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Hampus Lindholm (27) is congratulated by defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) center Charlie Coyle (13) and left wing Brad Marchand (63) after his empty net goal. (James Guillory/USA TODAY Sports)
On the backend, which is the absolute and undeniable strength of this club, the Bruins are going for a supercharged top pairing that’ll reunite Hampus Lindholm with Charlie McAvoy.
Over the last three seasons, the Lindholm-McAvoy pairing has been one hell of a weapon for the Bruins, with the duo on the ice for a 39-20 scoring edge and a plus-125 shot differential at five-on-five play.
That’ll align Mason Lohrei and Brandon Carlo as Boston’s second pairing, while Nikita Zadorov will skate with Andrew Peeke to give the Black and Gold an absolutely punishing third-pairing look.
Parker Wotherspoon, meanwhile, will round out the group as their seventh blue liner.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 06: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the second period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on April 06, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
In goal, the Bruins will indeed have the tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Jeremy Swayman ready to go.
Korpisalo, who is coming off an absolutely miserable season in Ottawa, was named the Opening Night starter last week, but it’s worth wondering if that’s changed with Swayman signed and practicing with the club. Speaking with reporters on Monday, Montgomery acknowledged Swayman starting as a possibility for the club.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 30: Matthew Poitras #51 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the second period against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on October 30, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
And when it comes to some ‘extras’ hanging around, it’s worth noting that the Bruins designated forward Matt Poitras, along with defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula, as ‘Injured Non-Roster’ players.
Poitras and Mitchell did practice with the club on Monday, but it’s worth noting that Poitras was skating in a non-contact jersey (and remains ‘day-to-day’ according to the team) and that Mitchell may have suffered his injury during practice. Regula, meanwhile, has not practiced with the team at all this camp due to injury.
