"Have we not suffered enough?": NHL fans react to Bruins claiming goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers

The public contract standoff between the Boston Bruins and goaltender Jeremy Swayman doesn't appear to have any end in sight. And based on the latest actions of the Bruins, there are fans who think that Swayman's final chapter in Boston may have been sealed.

Earlier Wednesday, the Bruins claimed goaltender Jiri Patera off the waiver wire from the Vancouver Canucks. He becomes the second goaltender that the Bruins have brought aboard amid the drama with Swayman, having previously inked Kasimir Kaskisuo to a professional tryout agreement.

Patera has eight games of NHL experience, going 3-3-1 with a 3.57 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.

But thanks to their latest addition, fans have been divided on exactly what it means for Swayman's future with the Bruins. Some are guessing it means that Swayman is as good as gone, while others believe it's merely a depth move.

"Lol everyone is going to start freaking out now. Cause they think Swayman is getting trade for sure. But it's cause the PBRUINS need another goalie till he signs and Bussi is backup with big club," opined @ArigaMarco.

"Have we not suffered enough?" a fan said.

More reactions followed:

"It’s literally a depth move for when Sway signs and Bussi will have to go through waivers," wrote @jacobpineau.

"Panic setting in?" wondered @brenspaws.

"a goalie with 8 NHL starts and a GAA of 3.57 does not cause this much of a reaction," wrote @NickB1016.

Will Jeremy Swayman be signed by the Bruins before its too late?

The Bruins indicated by their offseason trade of Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators that they viewed Swayman as their top goaltender moving forward; they also hinted as much when they gave him the bulk of the starts earlier this spring in the postseason.

However, Swayman and the Bruins management, led by general manager Don Sweeney and team president Cam Neely, have been unable to reach an agreement.

If the regular season were to begin today, the Bruins would be forced to start Joonas Korpisalo in net; he was the return from Ottawa in the Ullmark deal. He had an unremarkable campaign last year with the Senators, falling well short of the expectations that came with inking a five-year contract with an AAV of $5 million.

The Bruins open their regular-season schedule on Tuesday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. They have two more preseason games remaining, taking on the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday before facing the Washington Capitals on Saturday.