Bruins and Jeremy Swayman Far Apart on Extension Talks
The Boston Bruins still have more to do as they aim to re-sign restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman.
As the NHL approaches the 2024-25 season, Boston Bruins fans are growing anxious about their unsigned starting goalie, Jeremy Swayman. Still a restricted free agent, Swayman needs a new contract with the Bruins before the season begins.
This marks the second consecutive summer where the Bruins and the 25-year-old goalie have had to negotiate a new deal, but Swayman opted out of the arbitration process this time.
With training camp and preseason just around the corner, the status of Swayman’s contract remains uncertain. According to insider Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts Podcast, negotiations have been challenging, and the two sides aren’t close to an agreement. However, there’s still time.
Despite the prolonged negotiations, it has generally been assumed that there’s no need to worry about the situation. The Bruins are committed to Swayman as their starting goalie and are expected to finalize a deal before the season begins. However, the delay in getting a contract signed is puzzling.
For the past three seasons, Swayman has shared goaltending duties with Linus Ullmark. But heading into the 2024-25 season, the Bruins have fully committed to Swayman as they traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators before the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Bruins brought in Joonas Korpisalo, but his stats don’t suggest he’ll take over as the starter unless there’s an emergency. While the absence of a finalized deal with Swayman is concerning, it’s still expected that he’ll be the Bruins’ starting goalie to open the season.
In his career, Swayman has played in 132 games, boasting a 79-33-15 record, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.53 goals-against average.
