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The Boston Bruins summertime shopping list just got one player shorter, with the inking of pending restricted free agent Niklas Svedberg to a one-year, one-way contract worth $600,000.
Providence’s starter since coming overseas two years ago, the 24-year-old goaltender’s new deal likely sets him up as Tuukka Rask’s backup for the 2014-15 season, and puts an end to Chad Johnson’s career as a Bruin after just one season. In two years with the P-Bruins, Svedberg won 62 of 91 games and and posted a respectable .918 save percentage, and seemed ripe for an NHL gig after an impressive one-game cameo with the Black-and-Gold this past season.
In his first and only NHL start, back on Jan. 2, 2014, the Swedish netminder stopped 33-of-35 shots faced in an overtime win against the Nashville Predators. This also came in his first time on NHL ice since a strong preseason that made many question the Johnson signing/Svedberg’s readiness.
The thought around the organization is that Svedberg is certainly ready to ease his way into the NHL as Rask’s backup, and even though Svedberg took a bit of a step back from his 2012-13 AHL campaign this year (he won 12 fewer games, his goals against average spiked up .46, and his save percentage dipped .015), it’s tough to justify what a third straight year in the minors would do for Svedberg.
In fact, a third straight year riding the buses through New England in the American Hockey League would likely pave the highway for Svedberg to jet back to the Swedish Elite League.
Now, with Johnson unofficially done in Boston, the next question becomes can Svedberg duplicate the success that the 27-year-old Johnson had in a limited role with the Bruins? Though the road started off rocky, Johnson finished the year with 17 wins and a .925 save percentage in 23 starts. For a backup goaltender signed for near league minimum, that’s straight-up value dominance.
And it’s no coincidence that the Bruins wanted to get Svedberg in at that same price for 2014-15.
For what it’s worth, this is a perfect deal for the Bruins’ crease both in Boston and Providence. I think most have viewed Svedberg as a stopgap between Rask and top goaltending prospect Malcolm Subban for the next couple of years, and this contract gives the 20-year-old Subban the chance to log No. 1 goaltender minutes in the AHL for at least the next season (but most likely the next two).
If Svedberg shines in a one-year trial with the big club, his value goes up (though he’s still B’s property at the end of this upcoming season as a restricted free agent), and this becomes a situation where the Bruins don’t have to rush Subban into the big league picture.
And while the crease certainly remains Rask’s, Svedberg will without question get his opportunities this season, with the Black-and-Gold skating with 16 back-to-backs on their schedule.
B’s up for awards, other thoughts
Even though they missed out on the 35-pound trophy Boston loves, the Bruins have a chance to head back to Boston with a few more trophies in their cupboard by the end of tonight’s NHL Awards in Las Vegas. It could be a three-category sweep for the B’s, in fact; Patrice Bergeron’s up for the Selke Trophy (forward that shines most in defensive aspect of game), the 6-foot-9 captain Zdeno Chara could win his Norris Trophy (best defenseman), and the 27-year-old Rask could take home his first Vezina Trophy for league’s top goaltender. And while I run the risk of sounding like a homer here, it’s pretty easy to see some B’s win all three of these awards.
I don’t think there’s even a debate as to Bergeron’s resume as the game’s best two-way forward. His play honestly speaks for itself at this point, and this year was no different. It’s absolutely criminal (and that’s an understatement at this point) if Bergeron is robbed for the second year in a row.
On Chara, I think he has some tough competition with some sexy names like Duncan Keith and Nashville’s Shea Weber, but the role Chara was forced to play from the new year on with the loss of Dennis Seidenberg warrants some serious credit. I’ll be honest though, if not Chara, it should 100 percent go to Weber. This isn’t to suggest that Keith isn’t a top-tier defenseman in this league, but I just think his numbers were certainly inflated via secondary assists, and he really wasn’t a shutdown defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks this year (that role was taken on by the pairing of Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjarmalsson).
When it comes to Rask, I think he’s certainly an interesting case. He finished the year with the league’s best save percentage and goals against average, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Ben Bishop steals the award after his absolutely superb year in Tampa Bay.
Elsewhere, Claude Giroux gets my vote for the Hart, and Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper should be your Jack Adams winner. I know most have picked Colorado’s Patrick Roy to nab the latter, and while I think Roy is a fine choice, Cooper worked absolute wonders with a Lightning club that really had no business even being in it. I mean, think about Tampa Bay for a second here. They lose Steven Stamkos to a broken leg in Nov., their captain demands out, and they fought and clawed their way to the second-most points in the Atlantic Division.
But hey, I’ll be honest: I’m not going to watch the NHL Award Show. It’s consistently the most embarrassing thing this league puts out every year. It makes me miss the Guardian Project.
Ty Anderson has been covering the Boston Bruins for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, is a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter, and can be contacted on Twitter, or emailed at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com