Boston Bruins
Swayman’s Agent Bites Back, Denies Claim By Neely And Bruins
Tensions are starting to boil over between the Boston Bruins and restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman.
While Swayman has missed out on the first two weeks of Bruins training camp without a contract, team president and alternate governor Cam Neely openly expressed his frustration on Monday with the first public disclosure of official details made by either side of the ongoing contract negotiations.
“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. “What his ask is and what we believe his comparison group is, they’re two different things.”
Must Read: Bruins President Neely Ups Pressure On Swayan With ’64 Million Reasons’
A short seven hours later, Swayman’s camp bit back and denied Neely’s claim.
“I feel the need to defend my client,” Swayman’s agent, Lewis Gross, wrote in a statement posted to social media on Monday evening. “At today’s press conference, $64 million was referenced. This was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level.”
Full statement from Lewis Gross:
— SPM (@SPMsports) September 30, 2024
Negotiations between the Bruins and Swayman have been contentious ever since the two sides went to arbitration last offseason, resulting in Swayman playing on a one-year, $3.475 million contract in 2023-24.
With Swayman an RFA once again, the Bruins expressed they had no desire to go back to arbitration this time around out of good faith. Yet negotiations have not proven to be been any easier.
The impasse between the Bruins and Swayman has endured for months, and little movement has been made. Despite both sides expressing a mutual desire to reach an agreement, the prospects of one may have taken a significant hit on Monday after talks spilled over into the public sphere.
It’s not clear which side is telling the truth in their claims.
Is Gross trying to spin the narrative and take the blame off Swayman just as quickly as it was placed on him? Did the Bruins ever officially offer Swayman a contract worth a total of $64 million over eight years? If so, when?
Either way, it seems even that won’t be enough to satisfy the goalie’s desires.
According to several reports, Swayman is looking to reset the goalie market with his new deal. Some have said he’s looking for a contract similar to that of Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, which carries a $9.5 million cap hit, while others have indicated he’s looking for as much as $10 million a season.
Both would put him among the three highest-paid players at his position. However, based on Swayman’s age and overall body of work to this point in his relatively short NHL career, the Bruins believe that’s too much to ask for. Instead, they’re claiming to offer a deal that would make Swayman the league’s fifth highest-paid goalie.
“I would never begrudge a player asking for what he thinks his value is,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney. “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.”
Swayman has now missed nearly two weeks of training camp while unsigned, leaving the Bruins to officially name Joonas Korpisalo as their starting goalie for their first game of the year on Oct. 8 at the Florida Panthers.
Where things will stand by that point is now completely uncertain.
Certainly, though, movement is now beginning to occur, at the very least.
The question is, in what direction?
FOLLOW ANDREW FANTUCCHIO ON 𝕏: @A_FANTUCCHIO
FOLLOW BOSTON HOCKEY NOW ON 𝕏 AND FACEBOOK
