Boston Bruins
Bruins President Neely Ups Pressure On Swayman With ’64 Million Reasons’
BOSTON — Since the beginning of the summer, the pressure has increased on the Boston Bruins to sign restricted free-agent goalie Jeremy Swayman to a new contract with each passing day.
On Monday morning, Bruins president and alternate governor Cam Neely completely shifted the pressure onto Swayman.
“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is, but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” said Neely at TD Garden. “What his ask is and what we believe his comparison group is, they’re two different things.”
— Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) September 30, 2024
Those 64 million reasons equate to what is likely the deal the Bruins are offering Swayman. Neely’s comments were the first made public by either side disclosing official details of the negotiations.
On a contract worth an average of $8 million over eight years, Swayman would be the league’s fifth-highest-paid goaltender. Yet, multiple reports indicate he’s asking for much more. Neely acknowledged as much by stating that Swayman is trying to “reset the goalie market.”
That price point simply isn’t one the Bruins are unwilling to entertain. Despite all the ability Swayman has shown in his young career, he hasn’t played the role of a bonafide starting goalie on a full-time basis.
“Being a former player, I’m not a big fan of lowball, highball, and figure it out somewhere in the middle,” Neely said. “Let’s get the right comparison and put the right offer on the table. [Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s] past has shown that he can get deals done. This is one that’s just been a little trickier.”
Now, both sides are losing out after Swayman has missed nearly the first two weeks of training camp.
As a result, the Bruins announced on Monday that Joonas Korpisalo will be their starter when they open the season at the Florida Panthers on Oct. 8, while Swayman remains the league’s last remaining unsigned restricted free agent.
“Ultimately, we’re a better team, as I’ve said all along, if Jeremy is part of our hockey club,” said Sweeney. “That’s my intention. That’s my wish. I’ll continue to work to do that. I think Jeremy and the team are both hurt in this regard. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll continue to work hard to find a settling point.”
Neely is only the latest member of Boston’s front office to show some aggravation over the current state of the negotiations.
When the team opened training camp on Sep. 18, Sweeney was visibly frustrated by some of the rumors that have swirled around the situation. Especially the ones stating he has communicated poorly with Swayman and his agency.
Go Deeper: Bruins GM Don Sweeney Calls B.S. On False Swayman Rumors
“I would never begrudge a player asking for what he thinks his value is,” said Sweeney on Monday. “I’m a little surprised that you might take a position that the Bruins haven’t been aggressive or aren’t willing to go max term. That is not how we’ve done business and not how we intend to do business. There’s a marketplace for every positional player, and we’re firmly among that grouping.”
After months of talks, the two sides are as far apart as ever.
There is hope that a bridge can be built. But Neely’s comments give the impression that Swayman will have to be the one who begins the construction.
“I strongly believe that Jeremy wants to play here,” said Neely. “I’ve asked him flat out, ‘Do you want to play here?’ And he does. I believe that they’ll get a deal done. Unfortunately, it’s not done today.”
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