Speculation: The Bruins and Jeremy Swayman are far apart in contract term (length) and dollar amount.

[Fledgemyhedge]

Brilliant use of $10 million of cap space.

Using 12% of your salary cap on a retired player 3 years in a row is terrible management.

Period.

LTIR. Do you have any idea what you’re talking about? We’ve used exactly 0% of the salary cap on a “retired player 3 years in a row”

 

[Armourboy]

That’s the truth. At least with a forward or D-man you can adjust their usage and role up and down the line-up if they’re not living up to their contract. You can find ways around an underperforming bloated salary. With a goalie you can’t. You can’t just keep them as a starter if they’re bad and not really as a backup either. They’re just dead weight.

Right. Once they start getting starter level money they either gotta be good enough to earn it or they aren't even worth having around. You can't just slot them at back up and suddenly its all better, they just aren't worth any of it really.

I think guys should get their money when given the opportunity, but the key to that is you can't force it, and for me anyways that's what it feels like Swayman is trying to do, or at least his agent is anyways.

I get he wants to get paid, but this feels like the scenario that bridge deals were made for. Player hasn't put himself in position yet to get that big pay day, but he's shown enough to not be making bottom of the barrel either.

As a player you can't just let management dictate everything and you need to protect your own long term interests, but at the same time you need to be realistic about where things are. That one aspect is the main thing I put on Swayman, he's putting the cart before the horse and expecting Shesterkin level money without doing that level of work yet.

 

[spintheblackcircle]

LTIR. Do you have any idea what you’re talking about? We’ve used exactly 0% of the salary cap on a “retired player 3 years in a row”

Your GM says it hamstrings the team

Stu Cowan: Why Carey Price's contract is a complicated mess for the Canadiens

GM Kent Hughes hoping to keep goalie on season-opening roster before placing him back on long-term injured reserve to get more cap relief.

montrealgazette.com

 

[Fledgemyhedge]

Your GM says it hamstrings the team

Stu Cowan: Why Carey Price's contract is a complicated mess for the Canadiens

GM Kent Hughes hoping to keep goalie on season-opening roster before placing him back on long-term injured reserve to get more cap relief.

montrealgazette.com

So we’re using 12% of our team cap hit on price or not? The answer is no . it being tricky to manage the LTIR is not close to the same thing

 

[spintheblackcircle]

8 years of the $80 million Price contract and Montreal made the playoffs twice.

Great signing, sorry, I’ve seen the light.

Pay Swayman what he wants.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

how funny would it be if Boston trades him and he signs for less than 8x8. wonder if it's just Boston he wants to get away from. like if your not happy there, WHY would u wanna sign for 8 years? arbitration may have realllllllly screwed up their relationship.

remember, some words can't be put back in the box, once they are out there, there's no going back. Boston very well may have pissed him off that much.

So we’re using 12% of our team cap hit on price or not? The answer is no . it being tricky to manage the LTIR is not close to the same thing

Dont teams ahve to be under the cap before the season starts to LTIR? or go through some hoops to do so?
also he's not retired, just too hurt to play he's basically retired. fairly certain if he retires his contract comes off the books with some sort of a penalty.

 

[TheBeard]

Right. Once they start getting starter level money they either gotta be good enough to earn it or they aren't even worth having around. You can't just slot them at back up and suddenly its all better, they just aren't worth any of it really.

I think guys should get their money when given the opportunity, but the key to that is you can't force it, and for me anyways that's what it feels like Swayman is trying to do, or at least his agent is anyways.

I get he wants to get paid, but this feels like the scenario that bridge deals were made for. Player hasn't put himself in position yet to get that big pay day, but he's shown enough to not be making bottom of the barrel either.

As a player you can't just let management dictate everything and you need to protect your own long term interests, but at the same time you need to be realistic about where things are. That one aspect is the main thing I put on Swayman, he's putting the cart before the horse and expecting Shesterkin level money without doing that level of work yet.

The bridge deal makes all the sense in the world and my guess is the Bruins would be fine with it. It seems though that the ball is entirely in Sway's court, and he's letting emotion and animosity cloud his ability to compromise. If he's THAT hurt about the arbitration process last year and the team "only" offering him 8 a year then it makes no sense why he even wants to be there still.

 

[Armourboy]

how funny would it be if Boston trades him and he signs for less than 8x8. wonder if it's just Boston he wants to get away from. like if your not happy there, WHY would u wanna sign for 8 years? arbitration may have realllllllly screwed up their relationship.

remember, some words can't be put back in the box, once they are out there, there's no going back. Boston very well may have pissed him off that much.


Dont teams ahve to be under the cap before the season starts to LTIR? or go through some hoops to do so?
also he's not retired, just too hurt to play he's basically retired. fairly certain if he retires his contract comes off the books with some sort of a penalty.

I mean if he didn't want to be in Boston it would have been far easier to ask for a trade than to go through this, especially before they traded Ullmark.

The bridge deal makes all the sense in the world and my guess is the Bruins would be fine with it. It seems though that the ball is entirely in Sway's court, and he's letting emotion and animosity cloud his ability to compromise. If he's THAT hurt about the arbitration process last year and the team "only" offering him 8 a year then it makes no sense why he even wants to be there still.

I mean I get it bothering him, Weber said his feelings got hurt when he went through arbitration with the Preds. The thing is though you gotta get over it, its a business, these teams are not your buddy giving you a job because they like you personally.

 

[TheBeard]

I mean if he didn't want to be in Boston it would have been far easier to ask for a trade than to go through this, especially before they traded Ullmark.


I mean I get it bothering him, Weber said his feelings got hurt when he went through arbitration with the Preds. The thing is though you gotta get over it, its a business, these teams are not your buddy giving you a job because they like you personally.

That's kind my point. It's been a year. I almost feel like Gross is basically telling his clients nothing but derogatory things about teams. About how "teams don't care about the players" and that "get what you can because the team will drop you like a pile of hot coals the moment they can"... just shit like that. It seems to be a common trend.

 

[Score08]

how funny would it be if Boston trades him and he signs for less than 8x8. wonder if it's just Boston he wants to get away from. like if your not happy there, WHY would u wanna sign for 8 years? arbitration may have realllllllly screwed up their relationship.

remember, some words can't be put back in the box, once they are out there, there's no going back. Boston very well may have pissed him off that much.

Dont teams ahve to be under the cap before the season starts to LTIR? or go through some hoops to do so?
also he's not retired, just too hurt to play he's basically retired. fairly certain if he retires his contract comes off the books with some sort of a penalty.

If arbitration screwed with him this badly, he’s in no way worth investing 8x8 in. Too fragile, too selfish, he’ll be trash by yr 3.

 

[Arthur Morgan]

I mean if he didn't want to be in Boston it would have been far easier to ask for a trade than to go through this, especially before they traded Ullmark.


I mean I get it bothering him, Weber said his feelings got hurt when he went through arbitration with the Preds. The thing is though you gotta get over it, its a business, these teams are not your buddy giving you a job because they like you personally.

yeah you make a good point, clearly he's brother from stuff from the past so he prob would have made that clear

If arbitration screwed with him this badly, he’s in no way worth investing 8x8 in. Too fragile, too selfish, he’ll be trash by yr 3.

arbitration can get nasty. depending what was said, may never go back to 100% but I dont believe Sway will be trash within 3 years.

 

[seanlinden]

Right. Once they start getting starter level money they either gotta be good enough to earn it or they aren't even worth having around. You can't just slot them at back up and suddenly its all better, they just aren't worth any of it really.

I think guys should get their money when given the opportunity, but the key to that is you can't force it, and for me anyways that's what it feels like Swayman is trying to do, or at least his agent is anyways.

I get he wants to get paid, but this feels like the scenario that bridge deals were made for. Player hasn't put himself in position yet to get that big pay day, but he's shown enough to not be making bottom of the barrel either.

As a player you can't just let management dictate everything and you need to protect your own long term interests, but at the same time you need to be realistic about where things are. That one aspect is the main thing I put on Swayman, he's putting the cart before the horse and expecting Shesterkin level money without doing that level of work yet.

"Paying for Potential" is not new in this league... Juraj Slafkovsky, Dylan Guenther, all recent examples of that. Guys have to protect their interests, and based on everything I've ever heard or read about Lewis Gross, he will go to extremes to "protect his clients interests", maybe to a fault sometimes.

Swayman also isn't really asking for "Shesterkin money". Shesterkin is apparently going to reset the goalie market when his contract kicks in next year.

Heck, if Swayman was on a team like Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose, Detroit, Columbus, or any other "up & comer"; they'd probably happily "bet on potential" and fork over $9m x 8 for Swayman... it's not really an outlandish ask for a guy that's 25 years old, with 3 very solid, very consistent years as a tandem goalie.

Call me crazy, but if I fast forward a year from now, I think I'd rather have a 26 year old Jeremy Swayman at $9m with 7 years left than I would a 29 year old Igor Shesterkin at $11.5m with 8 years left.

Disclaimer: I generally don't believe in spending big money on goalies as I subscribe to the "goalies are voodoo" philosophy, so neither prospect would be truly exciting.

 

[bearcountry17]

"Paying for Potential" is not new in this league... Juraj Slafkovsky, Dylan Guenther, all recent examples of that. Guys have to protect their interests, and based on everything I've ever heard or read about Lewis Gross, he will go to extremes to "protect his clients interests", maybe to a fault sometimes.

Swayman also isn't really asking for "Shesterkin money". Shesterkin is apparently going to reset the goalie market when his contract kicks in next year.

Heck, if Swayman was on a team like Anaheim, Chicago, San Jose, Detroit, Columbus, or any other "up & comer"; they'd probably happily "bet on potential" and fork over $9m x 8 for Swayman... it's not really an outlandish ask for a guy that's 25 years old, with 3 very solid, very consistent years as a tandem goalie.

Call me crazy, but if I fast forward a year from now, I think I'd rather have a 26 year old Jeremy Swayman at $9m with 7 years left than I would a 29 year old Igor Shesterkin at $11.5m with 8 years left.

Disclaimer: I generally don't believe in spending big money on goalies as I subscribe to the "goalies are voodoo" philosophy, so neither prospect would be truly exciting.

If Swayman was on a team like those you mentioned he’s not putting up the numbers he has. Also a 8m dollar deal makes him a top 5 highest paid tender in the league when he’s never proven to be that so it is paying for potential.

 

[seanlinden]

If Swayman was on a team like those you mentioned he’s not putting up the numbers he has. Also a 8m dollar deal makes him a top 5 highest paid tender in the league when he’s never proven to be that so it is paying for potential.

Sure....

Let's use that $8m x 8 year "example"... and also assume that Swayman believes he can be a top 3 goalie in the league for a long time.

In year 1, he's the 5th highest paid goalie in the league.

In year 2, he's the 6th highest paid goalie in the league (Shesterkin will 100% bump him down). Oettinger might be in the conversation as well.

In year 3, Bobrovsky will expire, potentailly making him the 5th highest paid goalie in the league. However, what's the cap going to be at that time? $100m?

In years 4-8, obviously difficult to predict who's going to be up as a goalie, but I think if you're Lewis Gross, you've got a valid point in arguing that if Swayman is a top 3-5 goalie, he should be paid higher than the 5th or 6th or 7th highest salary in the prime of his career.

 

[bearcountry17]

Sure....

Let's use that $8m x 8 year "example"... and also assume that Swayman believes he can be a top 3 goalie in the league for a long time.

In year 1, he's the 5th highest paid goalie in the league.

In year 2, he's the 6th highest paid goalie in the league (Shesterkin will 100% bump him down). Oettinger might be in the conversation as well.

In year 3, Bobrovsky will expire, potentailly making him the 5th highest paid goalie in the league. However, what's the cap going to be at that time? $100m?

In years 4-8, obviously difficult to predict who's going to be up as a goalie, but I think if you're Lewis Gross, you've got a valid point in arguing that if Swayman is a top 3-5 goalie, he should be paid higher than the 5th or 6th or 7th highest salary in the prime of his career.

Well that’s a trade off for being a top 5 paid goalie without ever proving it and wanting UFA or Vezina winner money without being one.

 

[violaswallet]

Could Boston match 5 years at 9,161,834? Not great compensation, but bad deal in terms of high cap hit but low term

 

[gstommylee]

8 years of the $80 million Price contract and Montreal made the playoffs twice.

Great signing, sorry, I’ve seen the light.

Pay Swayman what he wants.

You can't compared swayman to Price...

 

[BB79]

Sure....

Let's use that $8m x 8 year "example"... and also assume that Swayman believes he can be a top 3 goalie in the league for a long time.

In year 1, he's the 5th highest paid goalie in the league.

In year 2, he's the 6th highest paid goalie in the league (Shesterkin will 100% bump him down). Oettinger might be in the conversation as well.

In year 3, Bobrovsky will expire, potentailly making him the 5th highest paid goalie in the league. However, what's the cap going to be at that time? $100m?

In years 4-8, obviously difficult to predict who's going to be up as a goalie, but I think if you're Lewis Gross, you've got a valid point in arguing that if Swayman is a top 3-5 goalie, he should be paid higher than the 5th or 6th or 7th highest salary in the prime of his career.

This is the best argument against long term contracts for goalies that I've seen yet, and completely agree. Playing devil's advocate to look from a franchise POV, it could also be argued the other way. There's no guarantee that Swayman will be a top 3 goalie in the league for a long time. There's plenty of examples of goalies that haven't lived up to the hype long term out there or have had injury issues that hampered their performance. I think both sides would benefit from a shorter term contract at this point.

 

[ranold26]

One of my recent takeaways from this situation is how the media views a holdout in the pre-cap/cap eras.
In the free market pre-cap, the Bruins would be getting roasted for "being cheap" and now the player is for being "expensive."
Funny thing is, the Bruins were cheap and now the player is expensive.

 

[Coffee]

One of my recent takeaways from this situation is how the media views a holdout in the pre-cap/cap eras.
In the free market pre-cap, the Bruins would be getting roasted for "being cheap" and now the player is for being "expensive."
Funny thing is, the Bruins were cheap and now the player is expensive.

trade him for Demko and Silovs

 

[Three On Zero]

trade him for Demko and Silovs

Dear god, no.

 

[Coffee]

Dear god, no.

I didn't know you were active in this thread, I would have not said what I said

 

[Three On Zero]

I didn't know you were active in this thread, I would have not said what I said

Coffee always perks me up

 

[Fatass]

trade him for Demko and Silovs

Swayman get traded but it would be for Zegras and Gibson. That just seems a perfect match.

 

[Legion34]

He wrote down the things that were said about him in arbitration and looks at it repeatedly

It’s personal. It’s not logical. And they made their bed. It’s their fault.