By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
Now that the 2025-2026 Boston Bruins have finished the season unceremoniously, it’s time to break ground on the remaining big picture. This frame that the organization and fans are left with obviously includes the core players of the team to some degree.
And when it comes to checking on the leadership aspect of the Bruins’ experienced triad, it remains a hard back-and-forth about who from the group of Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, and Jeremy Swayman could emerge as the go-to voice. In fact, Swayman hasn’t even been discussed as a potential candidate for more reasons than one…
“Absolutely. At least one guy [did], right?”–head coach Marco Sturm on Swayman’s Game 4 frustration, via Boston Globe’s Conor Ryan
Despite the National Hockey League rules muddying things up, though, it’s hard to look back on the recent six-game stressor and ignore the intertwined passion and calm from the goaltender. There’s something to be said about Sturm uttering what he did when the temperature was high.
Whether it be playing a huge part of the team’s on-ice identity, synchronizing timeout decisions with Sturm, or firing up the team, number 1 showed a little bit of everything. McAvoy and Pastrnak show bits and pieces in this respect, and that’s in some big part because of how much they have to contribute directly to the result of each clash.
Being a goaltender, perhaps Swayman has a unique capability to give directed energy towards leading his teammates if he isn’t stopping pucks. If the coaching staff recognize this and capitalizes, there would be free time for the skill veterans to loosen up mentally and recenter on what they need to improve on play-wise.
Swayman couldn’t necessarily be the team’s on-ice captain per the NHL, but if Sturm does actually move into next season without an official captain, he should elect the bulldog personality as the quasi-leader and continue rolling along with a shored-up roster.
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