Insider Provides Update on Bruins Negotiations with Jeremy Swayman.
The Boston Bruins made an unusual decision by not taking Jeremy Swayman’s contract discussions to arbitration. The two sides went through the procedure last summer, and the goaltender received a one-year contract worth $3.475 million. The Bruins and Swayman are at a crossroads again, and they have decided to take a different strategy.
The Bruins are fully committed to Swayman as their starting goaltender for the 2024-2025 season. At the 2024 NHL Draft, they traded previous Vezina champion Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a draft pick and experienced goalie Joonas Korpisalo. With Swayman’s running buddy out of town, the Bruins crease is completely his.
Unfortunately, this has not helped the two sides reach an agreement on a new contract. The negotiations have come to a halt, and no resolution appears to be on the horizon. Dan Rosen, an NHL insider, recently mentioned the situation in a mailbag post, mentioning the 26-year-old goaltender’s stratospheric contract request.
“If Swayman wants an eight-year contract, the number possibly could dip below $9 million because the term creates added value over the years,” according to Rosen. “But it is still logical to believe it begins with a nine. And if he desires a five- or six-year contract, his salary could easily exceed $9 million per season, possibly reaching $10 million AAV. He is already one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and is perhaps only now starting his prime years.”
With training camp just over a month away, the time is ticking. The Bruins have enough salary cap space to complete a deal, so what’s the holdup?
One of the difficulties could be Swayman’s wage expectations. As Rosen noted, there’s no doubting that at 25, he’s approaching his prime and has shown to be one of the league’s most skilled goaltenders. The Bruins may be concerned about whether it is a sensible move to spend more than $8 million on a goaltender who has played less than 50 games in each of his NHL seasons.
On the other hand, the Bruins have been searching for a goaltender capable of leading the franchise back to a Stanley Cup triumph since Tuukka Rask and Tim Thomas retired. Regarding Ullmark, Swayman is the greatest choice available. As the 2024 season approaches, the Bruins must stop wasting time and sign their franchise goalkeeper to a long-term contract.
