Things are terrible in the land of the Boston Bruins right now. The season is about to start and their star goalie Jeremy Swayman is having a rough time with his contract negotiations. The Bruins and Swayman are still clearly so far apart.
A resolution doesn’t seem imminent either. On Monday, Bruins President Cam Neely decided to give a number to the media when he said “I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now”. This is a clear way of trying to make the player look bad instead of the team.
The Boston Bruins need Jeremy Swayman signed ASAP but it may not happen
Cam Neely on the Jeremy Swayman negotiations:
— Ian Steele (@RealianSteele6) September 30, 2024
"I don't want to get into the weeds with what his ask is, but I have 64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now."@ABC6 #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/1wMPfMGdXC
Later in the day, Swayman’s agent put out a letter responding to the comment. They are upset that a price (that they also declared untrue) was put out there. It is clear from these quotes that Swayman is very unhappy with this action by Cam Neely.
On his agency’s Instagram page, Jeremy Swayman’s representative releases a statement
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 30, 2024
“We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.” pic.twitter.com/VRcL5pNngf
The line that says “We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here” has to worry the Bruins. Their President may have made him want out for good. Don’t be surprised if Swayman asks for a trade in the coming days.
Earlier in the off-season, the Bruins traded Vezina-winning goalie Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators. Despite Ullmark also being elite, they had to move on from either him or Swayman so they could afford one of them. Swayman is younger and just as good if not better so they went with him.
The problem is that they traded Ullmark without making sure that Swayman was locked up first. That gave Swayman some negotiating power but it was also a risky move to let a top-flight goalie leave.
It is now on Swayman to figure out if he can get over Neely, who is breaking the trust of the negotiations. The Bruins are a wonderfully put-together team with a great coach leading a goalie-friendly system. There is a chance to win in Boston.
Nobody will fault him, however, if he wants out now. That is a decision for him, his agent, and his family to make. It is smart of him to think about it for a few days before doing something he may regret.
Through all of this madness, the Bruins named Jonas Korpisalo the starting goalie on opening night. It was surprising to hear it said already but it makes sense with Swayman unsigned and the season so close. Nobody thought it would get this bad but that’s the reality of the situation right now. Some critical conversations must be had and fast.