Cam Neely on Jeremy Swayman contract talks: ‘Something will get done’
"I'm fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.”
The Bruins are officially set to open training camp at Warrior Ice Arena on Sept. 18.
But it remains to be seen if Jeremy Swayman will be there with the rest of his teammates when the full squad finally takes to the ice.
After putting together a dominant postseason run with Boston this spring, Swayman has still not signed a new contract with the Bruins. A restricted free agent, Swayman should be in line for a lengthy extension with a pay raise above the $3.475 million cap hit he commanded in 2023-24.
Signing Swayman stands as the likely last order of business for Don Sweeney and the Bruins, with Boston still operating with over $9 million in remaining cap space (per @BruinsCapSpace) this offseason.
Even though Boston has the spending power to dole out a hefty new deal for their franchise netminder, both the Bruins and Swayman’s representatives have yet to bridge the gap on a new deal to this point.
The lack of any progress at this stage of the summer might raise the collective blood pressure of Bruins fans hoping to see Swayman in a black-and-gold sweater for the long haul.
But Bruins president and Hockey Hall of Famer Cam Neely isn’t fretting over the current contractual impasse between the the team and Swayman’s camp.
“Something will get done. There’s no question,” Neely said Thursday during an appearance on WZLX’s “The Rich Shertenlieb Show”. “I mean, not every negotiation is as smooth as you’d like it. I know our fan base would certainly love to have something done by now. But I’m fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.”
Neely’s comments have fallen in line with Swayman’s own sentiment over the last week when it comes to contract talks.
“There’s a lot of confidence,” Swayman said last week during an appearance on the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. “And I say that because I’ve treated it like business as usual this year. I’ve been at Warrior, I’ve been working out with our guys, our staff, our players. And I know that there’s something special building in this locker room this year, and I can’t be more excited about that.
“I know that it will take care of itself with time, and all I can do is control how I’m going to be a better goalie for the Boston Bruins this year. So, that’s all I’m focused on. And I know, again, it will work out, and I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin.”
Swayman could be in line for a new annual payout worth at least $7.5 or $8 million per season moving forward — especially with the 25-year-old netminder set to take the No. 1 spot on Boston’s depth chart after Linus Ullmark was traded to Ottawa in June.
He further elevated his stock after dominanting during the postseason, with Swayman sporting a .933 save percentage in 12 games for the Bruins during the playoffs against Toronto and Florida.
His 13.3 goals saved above expected led all goalies during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs (per MoneyPuck), even though he only appeared in two total rounds.
“I do love it [in Boston], and that’s all I can control, and I know that,” Swayman told Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub on Sunday. “I have complete trust in my agent and I know that it’s going to get done eventually.”
While there are still a few question marks regarding Swayman’s ability to shoulder the heavy workload that comes with being an unquestioned No. 1 goalie, locking in a young netminder like Swayman stands as the most logical path moving forward as the Bruins try to cultivate a new core of top talent.
“Jeremy’s only played 44 games in a regular season, which is still significant,” Neely acknowledged. “But it’s not, it’s not 60 or 65 [games]. And Linus, you know, those two certainly helped us have the records we did the last couple years. They’re both great goaltenders.
“Jeremy, he’s a guy that’s so focused and so determined and he’s got a lot of confidence in himself. And he’s obviously [at] the age, so we figured that we would ride with Jeremy. Linus did so much for the organization, both on and off the ice, a great person, but we felt, we weren’t probably going to resign him, so it was best to move him.”
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