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.

 

[JAD]

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

It use to be said that goalies didn't hit their prime until around 29/30 yrs of age. Many continue to play well at age 35, 36 a few even longer.

 

[BostonBob]

Once again this goof has no idea what he's talking about but still feels the need to let everybody know what he thinks. He actually says that Boston traded Ullmark and a 1st round pick to Ottawa so his credibility is less than zero.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841544592447177008

 

[SwayHeyKid]

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


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

Not sure what the first sentence means

Here's one for you. If the bruins go from Ullmark and Swayman to korpi and patera do the management lovers finally criticize them?

 

[SwayHeyKid]

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?



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.

What round has Saros lead the preds to? I know the bruins are a regular season fanbase but shouldn’t he have won one even by accident by now?

I do think Swayman would have signed something similar to Saros last summer before he was the 1 and the playoffs pumped his value.

 

[LiseL]

they came in at 2mil to purposely lower the number he would get. Lower than Daniel Vladar lol.

But go ahead and say it's business.....sure is...just like Swayman is doing now.

In management's defense, both times they were offering the cap room they had available. Read somewhere that before arbritration, they offered him something in the mid $3 range, he wanted something in the $4 range. I guess management knew how arbitration works and Gross didn't. I believe they low-balled and took the 1 year option as they knew the the result would be in the $3's based on past experience. Gross should've realized that arbitration wouldn't get them $4+ and that the team would make him sound more average that he is. That's the way the game is played. A team can only spend what it has available to spend without either trading away an asset or not playing with a full roster. He also hadn't really proven himself at that point, their offer in the $3's for one year wasn't an insult IMO.

This time, the Bruins kept $8-$8.5 in cap room with a full roster. This time, they didn't choose the arbitration option to try to keep his salary down. According to Cam's statement, they are pretty much offering him the room they have, keeping a little bit to have some flexibility. It's certainly not a low-ball offer, very fair IMO based on his current resume. People can say that cap room isn't a player's problem, but it's a factor in the real world.

Shane Pinto faced a similar situation last year, well worse because our dumb GM at the time, Dorion, didn't have any cap room to sign him above league minimum. Then he was suspended for half the season and ended up taking the league minimum deal for the rest of the season as that was the cap space new owner/GM had to work with. His bridge contract this past summer was for 2 years, with the 2nd year paying him $5 million which means his next QO has to start with a 5 if I understand the process correctly. I think Pinto knew the pickle they were in and worked with management to come up with a viable solution. Ironically, Gross is also his agent but it is the player that has control so I guess Pinto must've been involved with the negotiations. I think he also appreciated that the Sens management team supported him throughout that ordeal.

If Swayman doesn't want a long-term deal under $70 million, then he should negotiate a bridge deal for 4 years and get his big pay day when he's a UFA. I know there are 2 comparables for the $9 million deal for an RFA goalie, but not all GMs are willing to pay top dollar for an RFA goalie with a small sample size. It doesn't make them bad GMs if the # they do offer is fair. He wants the big payday now and have the Bruins take on all of the risk if his performance declines or he gets injured a lot, and his contract becomes an albatross. Not likely to happen, but it can happen, especially with goalies. This stalemate isn't all on management IMO.

 

[LiseL]

I wouldn't offer him 64 that's for sure. That kind of money goes to a sure thing bonafied star. I'd set my watch to him not living up to that deal

I hear ya. The sens gave out five $8 x 8 contracts to RFA's under Dorion's tenure. So far, 3 are working out (Sanderson, Stutzle, Brady) but the other 2, not so much (Chabot, Norris). Norris is due to injury, he got his contract after one 35 goal season. He's been out with injuries ever since. If his latest 3rd shoulder surgery finally fixes the problem, then his contract will be OK, but Chabot hasn't looked very good in years and he's also injury prone. Sorry for the tangent, just agreeing that offering RFAs term can backfire.

 

[SwayHeyKid]

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

100 percent. Spend 9 mil aav now instead of 32 mil then for trash years. They already need to worry about Lindholm, Lindholm and Zadorov