For a while in the past week or so, it looked like star goalie Jeremy Swayman’s time as a member of the Boston Bruins was about to come to an end. The 25-year-old was an RFA, and in a press conference last week, Bruins team president Cam Neely was insinuating Swayman’s demands were excessive. But early Sunday morning, the game of chicken came to a positive end, with Swayman agreeing to an eight-year, $66-million contract. And in an instant, all was forgiven, and Boston’s expectations for the new season ramped up accordingly.
SWAY. IS. SIGNED. 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/CHewi2swjF
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 6, 2024
Some might believe there to be lingering feelings of resentment from Swayman, but if he really wanted out of Boston, he wouldn’t have signed a maximum-term contract. It’s safe to say what’s done is done and left in the past, and the Bruins now don’t have to take a massive gamble with ostensible backup Joonas Korpisalo doing all the heavy lifting between the pipes.
From Swayman’s perspective, any further delay in landing a new contract would mean getting into NHL-level game shape and would’ve bitten into the regular season as it kicks off this coming week. But with the deal done, he can rest assured of his place as a Bruin for the next eight years, and Boston management can focus on the cap space they have in the years ahead. As per Puck Pedia, the Bruins have just $386,667 in cap space this season, but that number will jump at least to $22.6 million if the cap ceiling rises as expected to $92.5 million.
Jeremy Swayman's reaction to being in Boston for the next eight years:
"That's goosebumps… I couldn't have done this process without the incredible support of this city and the fans… I cannot wait to represent it the right way the next eight years." pic.twitter.com/tg2AtDO6QB
— NESN (@NESN) October 6, 2024
For the time being at least, the high end of the goalie market has not been reset by Swayman or anyone else. That reset will likely happen when New York Rangers superstar netminder Igor Shesterkin signs a contract extension at or before the end of the 2024-25 campaign, but the Bruins have driven a hard bargain with Swayman, and many observers believe Swayman’s new contract is a fair one to both sides. After the trading of former Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark, Swayman had a lot of leverage in his current negotiations, so getting Swayman for eight years is a coup of sorts.
Swayman still has only 132 games of regular-season experience under his belt, so there is a risk involved with this new contract. But the alternative – leaning on Korpisalo to play 50 games or more this season – was much riskier. And now, the Bruins have their best opportunity to win the Atlantic Division and go on a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
There are no guarantees of any positive developments, of course. But Boston has done what they needed to do – just in the nick of time – to be as competitive as possible and get Swayman’s signature on a new deal. Unless something drastic changes their goaltending situation, the Bruins are all set in net for nearly a decade, and that’s the best news Bs fans and the team could’ve hoped for.
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News Summary:
- Reaction: Bruins Avoid Disaster Scenario By Signing Swayman In Nick Of Time
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