NHL Analyst Pierre McGuire may draw heat from fans for his encyclopedic knowledge of players and the game, but he’s also one of the most well-connected people in the sport.
On the most recent The Sheet podcast hosted by Jeff Marek, McGuire dropped what might be considered a bombshell to Boston Bruins fans.
McGuire believes the Edmonton Oilers missed their window to acquire a top-flight goalie when they failed to act decisively to trade for Bruins’ starter Jeremy Swayman or then-reigning Vezina winner Linus Ullmark as the Bruins realized there wasn’t room for both goalies.
Currently, the Oilers are mired in a goaltending malaise, riding with Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard in net. While Edmonton has won two straight Western Conference titles, goaltending has been a limiting factor as they’ve also lost two straight Stanley Cup Finals.
Last summer, the Bruins were going through their own upheaval while Edmonton searched for a GM before ultimately hiring Stan Bowman.
“They were going through (candidates) to be the GM. Did they miss out on Ullmark? Did they miss out on Swayman? I was living in Boston then. (The Bruins’ situation) was volatile beyond belief with what was going on with the goaltending situation,” McGruire told Marek. “I just wonder if they didn’t miss out on the potential of hitting a homerun with Boston to solidify their goaltending.”
The Bruins traded Ullmark to the division rival Ottawa Senators on June 26 in exchange for backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo, Mark Kastelic, and a first-round pick. Edmonton didn’t hire Bowman until July 24.
And yes, Edmonton could have likely beaten the offer for Ullmark. They certainly should have, and the sour taste from two straight losses on hockey’s biggest stage confirms that belief.
Marek even cast some doubt on whether Ullmark would have been the right fit for the Oilers.
“I’m not disqualifying the Vezina Trophy that Linus Ullmark won, but going into it, when Ottawa made the deal for Ullmark … I haven’t really seen it,” said Marek. “Like, high pressure, big situations–the Oilers are a Stanley Cup team.”
However, with a grin, McGuire clarified that he wasn’t talking about Edmonton acquiring Ullmark. No, he dangled the possibility that Edmonton could have plucked Swayman from the Bruins.
“I wasn’t talking about Ullmark … I was (referencing) the volatility that was around Jeremy Swayman.”
As a restricted free agent, it might have been Swayman’s contract demands that made him available, and a tantalizing trade get for Edmonton.
“The Jacobs family doesn’t like protracted contract negotiations. When Jeremy Swayman said, ‘I’m not in this for me, I’m in this for all of the other goalies’ — I went right on my podcast and said, ‘He’s in trouble. There’s no way the Jacobs are going for this.'”
It took all summer and into October, just before the start of the regular season, but Swayman signed an eight-year deal with an $8.25 million average annual value.
In his first season as an undisputed No. 1 goalie, Swayman struggled along with the team that slumped out of the playoffs. Swayman dropped from a .916 save percentage the year before to an .892 save percentage last season.
