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...

 

[PB37]

What an awful situation this has turned out to be....I bought 4 of Swayman's rookie cards last season

I have a home and away jersey from when he played down the road here in Maine. IMO UMaine has the most beautiful colors in all of college hockey.

 

[LSCII]

How about ken dryden, wasn't a touted prospect. Came out of nowhere

You literally have two examples one guy from the 70s and one 40 some years later, and you think it happens all the time?

 

[KrejciMVP]

You literally have two examples one guy from the 70s and one 40 some years later, and you think it happens all the time

I said you never know with goalies. Who expected that 2019 run from the st Louis goalie. Colorado won a cup with a JAG. Blackhawks too

 

[LiseL]

Of course they do. I think it's been pretty well established they got Korpi back as a way to get into the 1st round, I'm sure hedging for a situation like this was a secondary reason as well.

I'm talking about the fact you think they moved to plan B because Sway decided to "treat it like a business." No other player prior to him treated negotiations like a business?

I'm sure your entire being is fighting saying anything that isnt negative about management but a part of you has to know that Sway and his agent are playing just as much a part in the breakdown in negotiations here.

8 x 8.5 mil and let's all just move and be happy(ish) again

As a Sens fan, IMO I think they took Korpi because the Sens didn't have the cap space to keep him and Ullmark so it was Korpi or no deal. I also think Boston probably agreed as it provided some insurance in case Bussi wasn't ready to be a full-time back-up. If this contract issue with Swayman doesn't get resolved and Korpi does well with coach Bob's help + team defense structure, that trade will have worked out quite well for both sides. Who could've seen this coming?

 

[PaulD]

I said you never know with goalies. Who expected that 2019 run from the st Louis goalie. Colorado won a cup with a JAG. Blackhawks too

Knights.

 

[shelbysdad]

I see a lot of posts here quoting statistics on what he deserves or doesn't....all I know is that statistics show that 50 percent of statistics are bull crap

 

[NeelyDan]

You literally have two examples one guy from the 70s and one 40 some years later, and you think it happens all the time?

What do you see as fair for both sides? Give an agreed upon number

 

[BadBruins]

I hope this gets worked out soon and doesn't drag into the season becoming a distraction. It really does seem like the agent/player are trying to squeeze every dollar they can.... which is well within their rights. He turns 26 next month. This might be his one and only big pay day. Have to get it right. I'm assuming this was the negotiation plan after Ullmark was officially gone. That was their leverage.

I don't suspect the Bruins front office will cave. If anything, the opposite. The longer this goes, the messier it will get. It's really not worth it. There has to be some compromise from both parties. Too close to let this blow up. Neither side will benefit from that.

 

[PB37]

But you said better. And when I pointed out that was not true, you changed the argument to similar numbers and qualified it.

You know what is interesting though? Through age 25 the most games Saros started was 35. Swayman has already started more games than that at the same age. And the only reason Sway didn’t start more is because they had another top notch tender in Ullmark. That was a strength so why wouldn’t you use it? But to hold that against a guy is silly.

Would you find it interesting that Saros was also playing behind a top notch Vezina level goaltender and the type of deal he signed for his third pro contract when it looked like he was the heir apparent?

Better resume? Where? More games, sure. Better resume? Nah. Sway has a better winning%, better GAA, and better sv%. Other than you know all of that, Saros is better, if you say so.

Saros has 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th place finishes for the Vezina. He's also lead the league in games played for three straight years. He's proven to be a workhorse. Yes, that's a better resume.

 

[Boston Bruno]

I dont even want the guy on the cheap now.

Take your agent and arrogance and go build a sand castle in California.

 

[BTO]

I hope this gets worked out soon and doesn't drag into the season becoming a distraction. It really does seem like the agent/player are trying to squeeze every dollar they can.... which is well within their rights. He turns 26 next month. This might be his one and only big pay day. Have to get it right. I'm assuming this was the negotiation plan after Ullmark was officially gone. That was their leverage.

I don't suspect the Bruins front office will cave. If anything, the opposite. The longer this goes, the messier it will get. It's really not worth it. There has to be some compromise from both parties. Too close to let this blow up. Neither side will benefit from that.

Yeah, wouldn’t want to get shafted by accepting a measly $64m payday. Kid’s not careful he might end-up back in Anchorage pumping gas with his UMaine business degre. . . I mean online courses.

I see a lot of posts here quoting statistics on what he deserves or doesn't....all I know is that statistics show that 50 percent of statistics are bull crap

So are 50% of all posts.

 

[HuskyBruinPride]

Crazy how quickly Swayman is going from a fan favorite to a pariah. If I only i didn't go after so many of his rookie cards *sighs*

 

[pemulis]

I am loving the drama here. I just wish it didn't affect my favourite team though.

I think they'll still be pretty good without swayman, and I'm excited for the season to start.

 

[The don godfather]

64 million not good enough. Unbelievable.

 

[UncleRico]

It is stunning to me how many people want a bridge deal with swayman so we can get to the Saros deal type deal where you end up paying 7.75 million in his age 33, 34, 35, 36.

I’d rather give swayman an 8 year contract is his prime than a bridge deal where we are paying him into his mid to late 30s

 

[Ludwig Fell Down]

I see a lot of posts here quoting statistics on what he deserves or doesn't....all I know is that statistics show that 50 percent of statistics are bull crap

If you back it up with a pie chart, a statistic is 77% accurate. Just check out the light blue and orange.

 

[analyser]

It is stunning to me how many people want a bridge deal with swayman so we can get to the Saros deal type deal where you end up paying 7.75 million in his age 33, 34, 35, 36.

I’d rather give swayman an 8 year contract is his prime than a bridge deal where we are paying him into his mid to late 30s

How do you know if you really are committed to him after a bridge deal, you at least have an option to move on. In addition, it gives you time to develop other proven goalie prospects.

 

[The Un4casted Storm]

For what it's worth, if Swayman hasn't signed by the start of the season, I think he's likely played his last game as a Bruin. This negotiation seems to have gotten very personal (not business-like at all ironically) and, for better or worse, I think this management group is too proud and too stubborn to cave in the way the Leafs did with Nylander.