Three teams emerge as frontrunners to land Jeremy Swayman via trade

The Vegas Golden Knights are in a serious salary cap hell but have managed similar situations before. Stanley Cup champion Adin Hill is under contract for another season at $4.9 million and could be traded. If the Bruins are interested in William Karlsson at half his current salary, it could clear nearly $8 million for Vegas. While the Golden Knights could still manage with Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl, they might struggle to put together an appealing trade package since they have traded away many first-round picks and prospects in the past. However, if there's a big name available, Vegas is likely to make a move.

Utah has already shown that they are ready to enter a new era by making significant trades to acquire players like Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. Now, they could look for a goalie. Utah might offer Karel Vejmelka or Connor Ingram as options to pair with Joonas Korpisalo. Vejmelka has one year left on his contract, while Ingram has two, so neither would be a significant long-term commitment. Additionally, Utah has a strong pool of young players and prospects. While they might not part with top talents like Logan Cooley or Dylan Guenther, they could offer promising players like six-foot-five defenseman Dmitriy Simashev or winger Daniil But, who could make an NHL impact soon.

By signing several veterans this summer, the Blackhawks have indicated they want to win as many games as possible and help Connor Bedard avoid too many losing seasons. Swayman could play a key role in accelerating their rebuild. If paired with veteran Laurent Brossoit, who has a .927 save percentage over the last two seasons, they could form one of the league's best goalie duos. Chicago could trade Petr Mrazek, who had a .907 save percentage on a struggling team last season, while potentially eating some of his $4.25 million salary over the next two years. While the Blackhawks would likely keep young defensemen like Kevin Korchinski & Artyom Levshunov off the table they might consider trading young talents like Frank Nazar, Oliver Moore or Lukas Reichel for Swayman.

While these options may not seem perfect for either the Bruins or Swayman, they provide insight into what could happen if a trade is necessary for both parties.