The Boston Bruins have made headlines over their contract negotiations with the goaltender Jeremy SwaymanThe Bruins clearly view him as the goaltender of the future after trading him Linus Ullmark A few months ago, Swayman was named head coach of the Ottawa Senators. Sources have said contract negotiations between Swayman and the Bruins are not yet close, but both sides believe a deal will be reached before the start of the season.
However, a bombshell was recently dropped by the Boston sports media. According to Inside the ice rink and Rich Keefe, host of Boston radio station WEEI 97.3, the 25-year-old is looking for big money; he’s asking for $10 million for his next contract.
It’s not clear if that’s entirely accurate, but given the lack of progress in negotiations, it’s entirely possible that Swayman could ask for that price. For the Bruins, $10 million is out of the question, as the team has about $8.64 million in cap space.
Swayman has had a solid season establishing himself as the No. 1 starter. In 44 games this season, he has a 25-10-8 record with a .916 save percentage. He was drafted by the Bruins in the fourth round in 2017 and has since made a name for himself.
That said, $10 million is a huge amount of money. The only current goalie making that much money is the recent Stanley Cup champion. Sergei Bobrovsky. Before him, it was Carey Price who earned $10.5 million from the Montreal Canadiens. With Swayman having already been to arbitration once before, a deadlock in negotiations is the last thing the Bruins need.
Swayman receives $10 million, an unrealistic request
Say what you will about Swayman, but while his $10 million ask is unrealistic, given that he’ll be the Bruins’ starter for years to come, that kind of money is unjustifiable for him.
Swayman was seventh on the Vezina this season and is more in the $8-9 million range. Looking at the rest of the league’s goaltenders, Connor Hellebuyck earns $8.5 million while Ilia Sorokin He’s making $8.25 million. Swayman, in my opinion, is probably somewhere in the $8.5 million to $8.75 million range. Giving Swayman $10 million wouldn’t make financial sense for the Bruins right now, and it wouldn’t be particularly team-friendly.
For Swayman to have a chance at that kind of money, he would likely have to sign a bridge contract that would allow him to become an unrestricted free agent, with the hopes that his future performance justifies a high AAV. However, it is extremely unlikely that the Bruins would entertain the idea of a bridge contract and instead hope to keep him long-term.
Is there any reason for Bruins fans to panic?
With lack of progress concerning, should Bruins fans panic? Bruins president Cam Neely tried to calm the fan base in a statement where he believes that an agreement with Swayman will be concluded fairly quickly:
“Negotiations don’t always go as smoothly as one would like. I know our fans would certainly like to see something done now. But I am confident that both parties will reach an agreement before too long.”
We’ll see where this goes, as the Bruins had a relatively good offseason. The team was aggressive in free agency, bringing in players such as Elias Lindholm And Nikita Zadorov in an effort to remain a playoff contender. While the Bruins’ roster has certainly improved, their biggest asset remains up for grabs.
So it’s understandable that some members of the fan base are questioning the team’s management, but at the same time, free agent negotiations can be tricky. It’s common for many free agents not to sign before training camp, and looking at other teams like Detroit, they still have a lot of work to do with their young players. Regardless, it’s understandable to be concerned, but the team isn’t going to agree to an extension with Swayman unless it benefits both parties.
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