One of the more visible and tough negotiations this summer has been between the Boston Bruins and goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman. Neither Boston nor Swayman chose to go through salary arbitration this offseason, but the organization may have received a wake-up call after the hockey world saw the St. Louis Blues issue offer sheets to two Edmonton Oilers players a few days before.
Swayman does not appear to be concerned about his lack of a contract at this point, as he stated in an interview with NESN earlier this week that he is confident he will remain with the Bruins. In the interview, Swayman stated, “There is a lot of confidence. And I say that because I’ve approached this year as if nothing had changed. I’ve been at Warrior, working out with our teammates, staff, and players. And I know something amazing is happening in our locker room this year, and I couldn’t be more delighted. I know it will all work out in the end, and all I can do now is focus on becoming a better goaltender for the Boston Bruins this season. So that is all I’m thinking about. And I’m confident that it will work out, and I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin.”
According to PuckPedia, the Bruins’ cap space will not be an issue during these negotiations because they still possess around $8.6 million. The only way Swayman’s contract might become a huge issue for the salary cap is if a team takes the same strategy as St. Louis and signs Swayman to an offer sheet that exceeds their existing allocation.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet suggested earlier this week on ’32 Thoughts’ that Swayman and the Bruins were not close to reaching an agreement on a new contract, and that negotiations have been difficult. The exact reason for the conflict is unknown, although it is possible that Swayman’s side has overestimated the rookie netminder’s importance up to this time.
That is not to say Swayman hasn’t been an excellent goaltender thus far in his career, but he has primarily shared the net with Linus Ullmark. Once a deal is reached between the two parties, the 2024-25 season will mark his debut as the unquestioned starting netminder. Since sharing the net with Ullmark in 2021-22, Swayman has only started 46.7% of Boston’s regular season games.
As a result, Evolving Hockey expects Swayman to sign a four-year contract at an average annual salary of $6.25 million. He might earn closer to $7 million if the Bruins can sign him to a long-term contract. A similar contract would leave Boston with plenty of cap money to add during the season. As much as Swayman’s supporters may argue, he simply has not proven himself to be on the same level as Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, or Connor Hellebuyck thus far.
