BOSTON — Boston Bruins president Cam Neely suggested Monday that the team has made an eight-year offer to unsigned restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman at $8 million annually — a claim Swayman’s agent later questioned.
“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is,” Neely said at a news conference at TD Garden. “But I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now.”
Neely did not disclose what Swayman’s ask has been but said he was surprised by it.
So far, Swayman is holding firm to his demand. It aligns with his personality of not backing down, especially following his uncomfortable 2023 arbitration hearing. According to Neely, Swayman wants to set a new market for goalies, specifically ones under team control.
“What his ask is and what we believe his comp group is,” Neely said, “are two different things.”
General manager Don Sweeney said he remains in contact with Lewis Gross, Swayman’s agent. The Bruins are not interested in trading Swayman.
“Ultimately, we’re a better team, as I’ve said all along, if Jeremy is part of our hockey club,” Sweeney said. “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.”
On Monday evening, Gross responded on X to Neely’s statement, saying the offer Neely referenced had not previously been discussed.
“We are extremely disappointed,” wrote Gross, who confirmed to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun it was his post. “This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.”
— SPM (@SPMsports) September 30, 2024
With only three preseason games left, it is likely Swayman will miss regular-season time, even if an agreement is pending. Coach Jim Montgomery designated Joonas Korpisalo as his goalie for the regular-season opener against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 8, regardless of Swayman’s situation. The Bruins have two full practices remaining in camp.
“Where we are in camp right now, with how well camp has gone and how well Korpisalo has done,” Montgomery said, “right now, he’s going to be our Game 1 starter.”
How good is the offer?
Swayman would become the fifth-highest-paid goalie in the NHL under the Bruins’ offer, behind Sergei Bobrovsky, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Connor Hellebuyck and Ilya Sorokin. Only Vasilevskiy ($9.5 million average annual value) signed his contract as a pending restricted free agent. The others were due to become unrestricted.
It is a significant payday for Swayman, considering he has never been a regular-season No. 1 goalie.
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Can Korpisalo fill the void?
Korpisalo has been very good in his two preseason starts, but he is coming off a challenging 2023-24 with the Ottawa Senators. He posted a 21-26-4 record with a 3.27 goals-against average and an .890 save percentage. Korpisalo did have a .914 save percentage two seasons ago but has been below .895 in three of the past four seasons and is at .901 for his career. Swayman had a 25-10-8 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .916 save percentage last season. His career save percentage is .919.
Meanwhile, Brandon Bussi, currently No. 2 on the depth chart, has struggled in camp.
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(Photo of Cam Neely: Dave Sandford / NHLI via Getty Images)
