Swayman is not alone at the top of the mountain as defending Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets and New York Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin are also tied for the best odds at plus-600. Close behind is Thatcher Demko of the Vancouver Canucks and Ilya Sorokin of the New York Islanders, who both sit at plus-800. Swayman’s former teammate and now Ottawa Senator, Linus Ullmark, finds himself with plus-1,500 odds.

Swayman being tied for the best odds to win the Vezina should not come as a surprise as the Anchorage, Alaska, native had a career year this past campaign. In 43 starts, Swayman racked up 25 wins and a .916 save percentage while helping the Bruins finish second in the Atlantic Division.

Both his 25 wins and 43 total games played were career-highs with his .916 save percentage slightly lower than his mark of .920 during the 2022-23 campaign, the same year his former teammate Ullmark took home the Veznia trophy.

Still, with his departure, one can expect Swayman to assume the bulk of the goalie work for the Bruins this season. Former Senators goalie Joonas Korpisalo, who was acquired on June 26th for Ullmark, will assume the role of backup and look to appear in the band of 20-to-30 games. During his eight years with the Columbus Blue Jackets as the primary backup for Sergei Bobrovsky, Korpisalo appeared in an average of 23 games a year, leaving the remaining 59 games for Swayman to start.

This past season, only three goalies appeared in over 60 games, with Jusse Saros of the Nashville Predators leading all goalies with 64 starts. One would have to assume the former Bill Masterton winner would reach similar numbers as, at just 25 years old, Swayman is only just starting to reach his prime in net.

The Bruins have also helped Swayman with more defensive additions, highlighted by bringing in NHL journeyman Nikita Zadorov. This past season, the B’s only allowed 2.70 goals per game, which ranked 28th in the league, while scoring 3.21 per game, ranking 14th.

Even with the preseason hype, Swayman has yet to re-sign with the Bruins. Still, the 2021 fourth-round draft was spotted at Bruins development camp earlier this Summer watching drills and speaking with players. Bruins General Manager Don Sweeny has also said that resigning Swayman is a top priority.

With additional defensive help, Swayman finds himself in a strong place to become the seventh Bruin and second in the last four seasons to take home the coveted award and add to his trophy case.