Bruins claim goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers amid Jeremy Swayman contract dispute
BOSTON -- The Bruins added a goalie to their roster on Wednesday, but it was not by way of a long-term contract with Jeremy Swayman. Boston added some depth in net by claiming Jiri Patera off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks.
The move comes as the Bruins and Swayman continue their contract stalemate, as neither side appears willing to budge with the regular season less than a week away. Swayman was supposed to be Boston's No. 1 netminder this season after the team traded Linus Ullmark in the offseason, but he hasn't participated in training camp or the preseason during his contract dispute with the team.
So the Bruins will turn to Joonas Korpisalo on Oct. 8 in Florida when they open the 2024-25 season against the Panthers. Korpisalo was acquired from Ottawa in the Ullmark swap, and was set to be Swayman's backup.
The 25-year-old Patera will now compete with Brandon Bussi to be Korpisalo's backup -- at least until the Swayman ordeal is solved. (The Bruins and Swayman's camp have until Dec. 1 to agree to a deal, or the goalie will have to sit out the season.) Patera will have to remain with the Bruins, since he cannot be sent to Providence without being put on -- and clearing -- waivers.
Patera signed a two-year deal with Vancouver over the offseason, but he didn't appear in a preseason game for the Canucks and was waived on Tuesday. The Prague, Czechia native entered the NHL as sixth-round pick by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017.
Petera made seven starts (and appeared in eight games overall) for Vegas over the last two seasons, going 3-3-1 with a 2.92 goals against average and a .907 save percentage. He played in 25 games for the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL during the 2023-24 season, going 11-10-4 with a 2.99 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
Overall, the 6-foot-3, 212-pound goaltender owns a 37-40-6 record, a 2.92 GAA, and a .907 save percentage over 85 career games in the AHL.
The Bruins have two more preseason games -- Thursday and Saturday -- before opening the regular season next week.
