With arbitration behind him, Jeremy Swayman can fully shift his focus to 2023-24 for the Bruins

In one regard, Jeremy Swayman has had one of the better summers of his life. 

The still up-and-coming netminder has remained in Boston, taking an additional step in his offseason training regimen. He's been able to enjoy time away from the rink and in the mountains, a staple of his free time in the offseason. 

He just wishes he hadn't needed to deal with an arduous arbitration proceeding all the while. 

"It wasn't a process I wanted to go through," Swayman told reporters at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday. "But I understand that it's a business and in the end, I'm grateful I went through it because I have so many things to be grateful for."

The 24-year-old and the Bruins settled on a one-year, $3.475 million contract last Tuesday after an arbitration hearing on July 30. The two sides were reportedly $2.8 million apart in their filings, with Boston seeking $2 million and the player in search of $4.8 million. The neutral arbiter decided on a near-even split following the hearing, but getting to the hearing in the first place was the final recourse for player and team in a cash-strapped summer that has squeezed the B's at every turn. 

There are aspects of the arbitration process that can inadvertently become personal as players and teams contest why they may or may not be worth the asking price. But Swayman's a big boy, and he knows he can handle it. The Alaska native took the positives, using it as a learning experience and soaking up everything that was thrown his way from his agents, NHLPA lawyers and even law students who went to work on his "presentation."

Swayman said at breakup day that his priorities for his next deal were, "Playing hockey, ideally in a Bruins sweater." In the end, he got his wish, which is all that matters in his book. 

"I think the biggest thing is living day by day, understanding that what you hear might not be the truth at all times," he said. Again, it's a business — and I wanted to make sure that whatever was thrown my way, I was gonna be able to attack with a good mindset and make sure that at the end of the day, I was doing everything I could to be a Boston Bruin. And now I'm here today and I am a Boston Bruin — I couldn't be happier."

With it being a business, Swayman knew there was a period where an offer sheet from another team might have been possible. There is the ever-constant chance of a trade. But as an RFA under team control, there were no reasons to see why he wouldn't be sporting the Black and Gold once again.

“I think with RFA, everyone kind of understands that there’s not much a player can do in that situation unless you’re moved,” Swayman said. “Again, you hear everything coming from different directions and you just kind of live it day by day. It’s a process I learned a lot from.”

He doesn't know what the future holds – no one does, for that matter – but what he does know is he absolutely wants to avoid the arbitration process at all costs going forward.

"There's no ill will on the process because I understand that I'm not the first player to go through it, I'm not the last, but I definitely don't wish it upon any of my friends and teammates moving forward and I don't want to do it ever again as well," Swayman said. "So, grateful I went through it. Glad I got it done. I'm a Boston Bruin at the end of the day."

Now, the young netminder can fully turn his focus to the ice as the 2023-24 campaign draws closer. He's looking to build off a season that statistically had him among the best in the league, putting up a 24-6-4 record, four shutouts (tied-third in the NHL), a .920 save percentage (fourth) and a 2.27 GAA (fourth) in 37 games. 

Swayman ranked eighth in goals-saved above expected (24.0) and wins above replacement (4.0), according to MoneyPuck, and his .715 goals-saved above expected per 60 minutes was third among qualified goaltenders (min. 25 games) behind only Vezina-winner and teammate Linus Ullmark (.883) as well as snub Juuse Saros (.735). He was ahead of finalists Ilya Sorokin (.647 in 25 fewer games) and Connor Hellebuyck (.489 in 27 fewer games). Swayman's .870 high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 tied for fifth among qualified netminders, according to Natural Stat Trick, and his .862 mark in all situations was second. 

He never wants to experience the agony he experienced following Boston's Game 7 loss against the Florida Panthers, which put an all-too-quick stop to what had already been a season for the ages. Remaining in the area throughout the offseason has allowed even more attention to detail for him in his preparation for next season. 

"I stuck around Boston this summer, and there's a big reason for that, which was I knew I was gonna get the best training, the best coaching and the best atmosphere to get better," Swayman said. "So that was a commitment that I wanted to make personally, to make sure that I was gonna do everything I could to not have that feeling again in Game 7.

"I think it's been one of the better training years of my life because of that and that doesn't happen without you know, [head performance coach] Kevin Neeld, [assistant performance coach] Tim Lebbossiere and [goaltender development coach] Mike Dunham, who has been on the ice countless times already. So those are some of the things that you know, I've taken seriously this summer and really put in extra emphasis on my offseason training."

But even Swayman, ever the outdoorsman, is in need of some critical work-life balance as he tries to take the next step in his professional career this summer. For as much additional time he's spent in Boston this summer, he's made a point to get his fix for nature and exploration, taking weekend trips to Maine, New Hampshire and even an excursion to Western Canada for some fishing in the mountains. He and "city boy" A.J. Greer will count themselves among the rugged folk taking on Mount Washington in the Granite State on Wednesday. 

"I've been looking forward to, again, grinding during the week, understanding what I need to do to get myself into a great position to succeed, then take the weekend to really step away and understand that we're still enjoying life," Swayman said. "I still enjoy life during the week, but still. It's just that stepping away from the rink."