After a long summer of contract negotiations between the Bruins and restricted free agent netminder Jeremy Swayman, cautious optimism is slowly building about the two sides coming to an agreement. Speaking on TSN 1050 Toronto’s “First Up” segment today, TSN’s Darren Dreger didn’t go so far as to say a deal before training camp is imminent but did report that “negotiations are probably closer than what we’re reading about” (stick taps to The Fourth Period).
As referenced by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on last week’s “32 Thoughts” podcast and first reported by Ryan Whitney of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, the Bruins hadn’t reportedly moved much from an initial four-year, $24.8MM ($6.2MM AAV) offer they used to open talks at the beginning of the offseason. Swayman’s camp, meanwhile, has been looking for a longer-term pact in the $8.5MM AAV range, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said last month.
Regardless of how highly the Bruins value the 25-year-old Swayman, whose .918 SV% ranks third in the league over the past two seasons among goalies with over 50 appearances, they can’t commit to his ask without making a corresponding transaction. They have one open roster spot left for the goalie, but cap space would become an issue with $8.64MM in projected room, per PuckPedia.
While Dreger thinks negotiations are closer than that multi-year, multi-million-dollar gap, he wasn’t clear about which side was more willing to deviate from their ask. Last month, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe opined a shorter-term deal with an AAV more similar to the Predators’ Juuse Saros, who inked an eight-year extension with a $7.78MM cap hit earlier this summer, could end up being what gets Swayman between the pipes before opening night.
And, while all indications still point to an agreement coming before then, it’s significantly less certain that Swayman will be in attendance when training camp opens next week. The netminder said on a podcast last month that he doesn’t want to drag down other goalies’ earning potential in the future by taking a lesser deal that could hurt their comparables.
With tandem partner Linus Ullmark out the door to the Senators, Swayman will be an undisputed No. 1 netminder for the first time this season – very clearly the root of Boston’s hesitancy to shell out superstar-level cash, even if his play has warranted it in lesser usage. He did make the slight majority of starts for the Bruins last season with 43, posting a 25-10-8 record and .916 SV% en route to finishing seventh in Vezina Trophy voting.
I wouldn’t trust Dregger if he told me the sky was blue. Only thing he knows is what Daren Faris feeds him and Swayman isn’t represented by him
I can appreciate him not wanting to negatively affect the market for future goalie contracts, but I don’t know where he arrives at the assumption that he would be. He hasn’t been a number one yet, hasn’t played more than 43 games in a season and went 6-6 in the playoffs. I’m not sure what the issue is with a 3 yr, prove it bridge contract at something around $7M per. If he plays the way that people think he will (and doesn’t get hurt), he can turn that into a double digit long term contract. But you have to prove it over a full season, son..
He really doesn’t have to prove it over a full season. He’s got leverage now. Son.
Not as much as you might think. The B’s have two very capable alternatives and he is a RFA not unrestricted. Big difference, he risks having to sit out the year. The drop dead date is 12/2. Do not be surprised if the Bruins push it to the deadline if he doesn’t get reasonable. They watched the demise of the Habs and the Price deal. Salary cap is a real issue when building a Stanley Cup team and multi-year contender. Your goalie only plays 60% of the games F & D if not injured play 90-100%. He is valuing himself in the top three without proving it; if you can believe the reports.
Very capable alternatives? One is well on his way to journeyman status and the other has all of three games of NHL experience, the last one two-plus years ago. Not exactly guys with whom the Bruins have historically entered the season, especially with a roster that is built to compete now.
The Boston Bruins are widely known as being one of the most tight-assed teams in the NHL, they love “bridge deals” and “hometown discounts” and incentive-laden contracts. What they don’t love is paying a player what they are worth. So I am somewhat surprised they have worked themselves into this corner where Swayman can tell them to go pound salt. And good for him.
And he will have to sit out the season for taking that “pound salt” stance….he is an RFA, he really has no leverage.
They always compete and sell a ton of merch. Well run company.
No leverage? What? Do you really think that the Bruins are going to run with Joonas Korpisalo, Michael DiPietro, and Brandon Bussi, with the latter two have a total of three games experience between NHL pipes? Plenty of leverage there.
the Bruins are notoriously cheap, I wouldn’t doubt for a minute they open the season with two of those three on the team. They need to do a two year bridge deal so he can erase any doubts he is a top 5 goalie in the league, then he can score a Price-type contract.
Dreger said “probably “ which essentially means he knows no more than any other person not involved. What a waste of time but I guess you have to fill space