Player Discussion Jeremy Swayman: VII- Swayman's agent basically calls Cam a liar

[smithformeragent]

@Gee Wally

We have numerous deletions and more in here. We know tension and emotions are high.
But you folks must simply stop taking personal shots at each. Stay to topic.

If not we will be left with no choice other than adding thread bans.

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.

“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.”

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.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5806291/2024/09/30/bruins-cam-neely-jeremy-swayman/

Click to read more...

 

[SwayHeyKid]

Igor should and will make more than Sway.

Oettinger might depend on how he bounces back this year. Might be smarter for both sides take a bridge deal. If he ends up making more than 8 after a season of mediocrity, that's on Dallas for rolling the dice.

Demko is an interesting one. He's coming off a Vezina contention year and has taken fair market deals before going into his 4th contract. But hes coming off a major injury and there's still no time table of when hes back.

Sways current offered contract will still leave him somewhere in the top 10 of highest paid goaltenders for awhile. It's a fair deal now and moving forward for the near future.

My point this whole time is I don't begrudge anyone for trying to get what they think they are worth and if they are convicted about it do them and get it. Personally I would sign 8/64, but the President really might have ruined an already tenuous relationship.

 

[LiseL]

the comp for 9/yr is only a 1-2-3 if the contract is 5 years or less. Offer sheets for longer than 5 years have the compensation based on the total value divided by 5 years, even if it's 7 or 8, so 9Mx8yrs has 4 1sts as the compensation

I think the Swayman camp would try to find a trade partner, not an offer sheet, if they can find another team willing to pay him what he wants and give up some assets to Boston in return. That's more likely than the offer sheet route, but still a long shot IMO.

 

[DKH]

We keep forgetting that Sway won the 7th player award...another reason he wants Pasta and McAvoy $$$...they won it too!

So didn’t Nick Ritchie

So we getting a formal trade request tomorrow?

48 hours passed should get something from Gross

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

OK, announced in the middle of the office

I find it hard to believe you would be ok with what Neely did in that situation.

No. Never announced in the middle of the office either.

If I didn’t like it I shouldn’t be going on podcasts before hand.

If he Sway is this thin skinned he shouldn’t of started playing hard ball.

 

[LSCII]

It's the same for every player , Swayman is not special. Those things are already factored in.

Yes, it is something happens every year. It goes up. Which is why people clinging to their stupid f***ing comps that a player signed 4-5 years ago is f***ing dumb.

 

[TCB]

No considering in year one of an eight year deal his 8 mil will be 7th or 8th in the league by year 2.

For me, if he doesn’t think 8 mil per for the next 8 years is enough. Good fckin riddance!

 

[danpantz]

OK, announced in the middle of the office

I find it hard to believe you would be ok with what Neely did in that situation.

Announced in the middle of the office after 2 months of my buddies telling every tom dick and harry about what a cheap prick my boss was and how he wouldn’t return my calls and was low balling me

 

[Grimey]

My point this whole time is I don't begrudge anyone for trying to get what they think they are worth and if they are convicted about it do them and get it. Personally I would sign 8/64, but the President really might have ruined an already tenuous relationship.

Right? Neely messed up leaking contract information to a podcast and making it public.

Oh wait. That was Gross.

 

[LSCII]

OK, let's pay Swayman $9.5. That means a 21-player roster to get under the cap.

Are you good with that?

What if someone gets hurt? If two guys get hurt, then they play with 19 players.

Are you good with that?

But I didn’t say that. Someone asked me what my starting point would be. And that would be my starting point if I were his agent. Not my end point. Get it?

 

[Bad Hat Harry]

If I'm Sway, I change my ask to $2 years x 7 million.

Get to UFA and then get away from this goofball front office.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

If I'm Sway, I change my ask to $2 years x 7 million.

Get to UFA and then get away from this goofball front office.

If I am the Bruins I would laugh my ass off at this.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

Yes, it is something happens every year. It goes up. Which is why people clinging to their stupid f***ing comps that a player signed 4-5 years ago is f***ing dumb.

Forget comps from 4-5 years ago, Swayman doesn't even want a better deal a better comp signed not even 4 months ago.

 

[Grimey]

If I'm Sway, I change my ask to $2 years x 7 million.

Get to UFA and then get away from this goofball agent.

FIFY

 

[Bad Hat Harry]

FIFY

Libel!

 

[LiseL]

I want Swayman back in Boston signed to a long term deal, and I was feeling good about this getting done up to a few weeks ago. But, once regular season games are missed I think it would be difficult for the two sides to mend fences, and I think he will lose a lot of support from the fanbase that has been built up throughout his career in Boston.

I love confidence in a goalie, and Sway is certainly betting on himself now but if this is not resolved in the next few days it might be impossible to mend fences.

Not that I want to see it happen, but could he play in the KHL this season as an RFA? What kind of salary could he make there...would it be worth it?

If Swayman wanted to bet on himself, he could've accepted the 4 year deal and cashed in on his next contract as a UFA. Signing an 8 year deal as a RFA means you take a little less because it's guaranteed money. Teams offer 8 year deals for cost certainty and hope the contract ages well. If it doesn't, they're on the hook regardless. Both sides are taking on some risk.

IMO, either Swayman wants his cake and eat it too or he thinks his floor is $8.75-$9 million in spite of the small sample size he has so far. I don't think there would be many takers in league, but what do I know, it only takes one. it's unfortunate for him that Milbury, Bergevin and Dorion are no longer GMs.

 

[PB37]

My point this whole time is I don't begrudge anyone for trying to get what they think they are worth and if they are convicted about it do them and get it. Personally I would sign 8/64, but the President really might have ruined an already tenuous relationship.

Camp Sway poked the bear too many times. Too many jabs in the media for nearly a year now. If the Swayman side can't take heat, they shouldn't have fiddled with the thermostat.

 

[LiseL]

Who’s more credible, friedman or Seravalli?

Because friedman says the 64 million offer was real and Seravalli says it was 62 mil and Cam was lying about 64 mil.

Different sources?

 

[Dr Quincy]

Well according to Servelli he would be 4th

And his original ask per Fridge is 2 or 3 on list

Definitely not the guy I thought he was

Korpi or Bust!

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

If I'm Sway, I change my ask to $2 years x 7 million.

Get to UFA and then get away from this goofball front office.

And the Bruins say kick rocks

 

[SPV]

I thought old comps like Rask weren't allowed? Are we changing the rules now? Rask got max at 7 mil per 10 years ago....comes out to 9.5 per max now with the same percent

See easy.


Ok

Rask had an even better playoff run than Swayman did last year, led them to the Cup finals. Maybe if Swayman gets them to the finals we could have the same conversation.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Camp Sway poked the bear too many times. Too many jabs in the media for nearly a year now. If the Swayman side can't take heat, they shouldn't have fiddled with the thermostat.

I'd say the same about Neely and Sweeney acting emotional and unprofessional at press conferences. And let's not pretend like the Bruins front office doesn't have a history of leaking things about coaches and players after they let them go.

 

[Bad Hat Harry]

And the Bruins say kick rocks

Probably would do it in a press conference in the most unprofessional manner possible.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

If Swayman asks for a trade do the pro-Swayman people turn into the anti-Debrusk people?

Probably would do it in a press conference in the most unprofessional manner possible.

Sounds crybabyish to be honest, especially after you leaked (not said directly) that the Bruins GM is incompetent.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Rask had an even better playoff run than Swayman did last year, led them to the Cup finals. Maybe if Swayman gets them to the finals we could have the same conversation.

Rask had even better offensive support than Swayman did last year. The team scored 3.29 goals a game in the playoffs on that Cup run.

Last year they scored 1.74 goals per game.

Do you think getting 2x as many goals per game had something do with that Finals run?

 

[CellyHard]

I don't think I've ever done as big of a 180 on a Bruin in my time as a fan.

I know we're all pointing fingers here and there with this and that but I'm just super disappointed Swayman isn't here with his teammates at camp with a near 8x8 deal out there.

It just seems so greedy and I feel like his image has changed dramatically, at least to me. These negotiations have unmasked him in a way.

It's not like the Stamkos or Marchessault situation where they were grossly lowballed and borderline pushed out.

I've just always loved cheering for the Bruins players who have poured their hearts out there, put the team first, always focused on wining.

We've always thought Swayman fit this mold. He's been a gamer since day 1 but his image has taken a massive hit and the longer this plays out, the less hope I have we can get the old him back.