The Boston Bruins certainly know that their fan base can get a wee bit anxious when it comes to unresolved contract negotiations for their star players, and that factors into the increasingly uncertain backdrop with young goaltender Jeremy Swayman still unsigned as things like team captain practices and training camp snap into focus with September right around the corner.
Swayman addressed the contract talks while taking part in a South Boston triathlon last weekend where he left the door open ajar that his contract negotiations might not necessarily end with him still being a member of the Black and Gold.
"It’s unfortunate at times, but I know I’m gonna be playing hockey at the end of the day,” said Swayman to 98.5 The Sports Hub this weekend when asked about the business side of being a professional hockey player. “And I really hope it’s with the Boston Bruins.”
So it might not be with the Bruins despite Swayman’s status as a restricted free agent?
Notice Swayman said “hope” instead of clinging to 100 percent certainty that he’ll end up the No. 1 puck-stopper for the Bruins when the negotiating dust settles over the next few weeks. The 25-year-old may have been playing a little coy as part of the negotiating playbook, or he may simply have been confirming his understanding that it’s a process he isn’t completely in control of this summer.
Whatever the case, the whole thing casts a little uncertainty when Swayman had been downright positive something would get done with the Bruins when asked about it just a couple of days earlier during the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund telethon. Regardless of whether it was posturing or gamesmanship, Bruins President Cam Neely weighed in while phoning into Rich Shertenlieb’s morning show on WZLX to promote the opening of ticket sales this week for his Comics Come Home charity event in November.
Cam Neely on with @heyrichhey on Swayman talks: "Something will get done. Theres no question. Not every negotiation is as smooth as youd like & I know our fan base would like something done by now. But I’m fully confident both sides will come to an agreement before too long here" https://t.co/MKxn8GKzme
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) August 22, 2024
“We love him too,” said Neely, when it was noted that the fans love Swayman these days coming off a playoff run where he posted a .938 save percentage and was Boston’s best player during the two postseason rounds. “Something will get done. There’s no question. Not every negotiation is as smooth as you’d like, and I know our fan base would like something done by now. But I’m fully confident both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.”
Interestingly, the radio conversation turned to how the Bruins dealt Linus Ullmark away this offseason while handing the No. 1 goalie spot to Swayman after an All-Star season where he took over the Stanley Cup playoff gig. While all of that is true, it’s important to note that Neely rightly pointed toward the fact that Swayman has yet to prove he can be a workhorse goaltender while maintaining his level of performance over the course of a long hockey season.
Yes, he was dominant for a month in the postseason and upped his value considerably by showing he’s a legit playoff goaltender. But he’s still never shouldered a heavy starter’s burden at the NHL level without sharing duties with a goalie partner who’s likewise been good enough to win a Vezina Trophy during his time in Boston.
That is not a small detail when it comes to a goaltender in Swayman who could be looking for an $8-9 million AAV payday despite not having built his resume to the level of goalies like Connor Hellebuyck or even Ilya Sorokin. Truth be told, a contract in the $7M plus AAV range would be generous given that Swayman hasn’t played more than 44 games in a season and hasn’t been an elite enough goalie that he’s garnered serious Vezina Trophy consideration to this point in his career either.
That means he still has things to prove even as both Swayman and the Bruins bypassed the arbitration process this summer where a one-year deal could have possibly set things up for an easier negotiation next summer. Or in hindsight, perhaps the Bruins should have opted for a two-year settlement decision after taking him to arbitration last summer in a normally uncomfortable process that ended up leaving a bad taste in Swayman’s mouth throughout last season.
“You’re still wondering a little bit [about life without Ullmark] because Jeremy has never played more than 44 games in a season. [44 games is] still significant, but it’s not 60 or 65 [games played] and Linus certainly helped us have the [won/loss] records that we did the last couple of years,” said Neely. “They’re both great goaltenders. Jeremy is a guy that’s so focused and so determined and he’s got a lot of confidence in himself.
“And with the age, he is [at just 25 years old], we obviously decided we’re going to ride with Jeremy. Linus has done so much for the organization on and off the ice and is a great person, but we felt that we weren’t probably going to re-sign him, so we decided to move him [to the Ottawa Senators].”
Certainly, the Bruins aren’t planning on riding with Joonas Korpisalo and Brandon Bussi between the pipes, which puts them in a difficult spot should anything really go sideways in the Swayman negotiations. There’s little doubt that Swayman’s camp is fully aware of this, which puts both sides in a pretty challenging negotiating spot in contract talks that are challenging to say the least.
It's reassuring, though, to hear from the B’s brass that they aren’t really sweating the details right now. Nor should they be with another week before captain’s practices start getting cranked up in earnest, and several weeks before the veteran players report for physicals and fitness testing ahead of NHL training camp.
That being said, the “nothing to see here” talk from Bruins isn’t going to suffice much longer if the gap remains in contract discussions between Swayman and a hockey team that’s banking on his elite level of goaltending next season.