Jeremy Swayman on his time with the Bruins: ‘I don’t want it to come to an end’
In the new Amazon Prime Video docuseries, “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL,” restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman, who is currently in a tense contract dispute with Boston, expressed his desire to stay with the team, saying he would do “everything in my power to be a Bruin for a long time.” Swayman is featured in Episode 3, which highlights the Bruins’ six-game playoff defeat to the Florida Panthers last season, and he emphasizes his commitment to remaining with the team despite the uncertainties of restricted free agency.
“I really don’t want it to end,” he said during the show. “This might be the last time I wear a Bruins jersey, but I’m determined to do everything I can to stay with the team for a long time. Growing up in Alaska, this was beyond my wildest dreams. I never want this to stop. I’m just incredibly grateful that tomorrow’s a new day and another chance to improve.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team win. I know the rest will fall into place.”
The Bruins designated 25-year-old Jeremy Swayman as their starting goaltender after trading his partner, Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators in June. However, they couldn’t reach an agreement on a new contract with Swayman, who refused to attend training camp without a deal in place.
Tensions between Swayman’s camp and the Bruins have escalated. On Monday, the Bruins announced that Joonas Korpisalo, acquired in the Ullmark trade, is expected to start the season opener on Oct. 8. During the same press conference, team president Cam Neely expressed surprise at Swayman’s contract demands, stating, “I won’t go into details about his request, but there are 64 million reasons I’d be playing right now.”
Swayman’s agent, Lewis Gross, responded by stating that the Bruins never offered that figure and criticized the team for making their negotiations public. “We are very disappointed. This was unfair to Jeremy,” Gross said.
This isn’t the first time contract talks between Swayman and the Bruins have been rocky.
In 2023, they went through salary arbitration, resulting in Swayman receiving a one-year, $3.75 million deal. Swayman later reflected on how tough that process was on the Amazon Prime Show.
“When you’re in that room, you don’t speak,” Swayman explained. “My arbitrator started with a lot of positive things, but the team’s side is there to support management and tear down the player. Hearing that you’re not worth what you believe was tough. Those comments stay with you.”
Swayman said he made a list of every critique from the arbitration and used it as motivation throughout the season. “One big knock was that I wasn’t reliable in the playoffs. Check,” he said, gesturing as if checking off the criticism.
Swayman posted a 12-6 record with a 2.15 goals-against average and a league-best .933 save percentage in the 2024 playoffs, though the Bruins were eliminated in the second round by the Panthers, the same team that knocked them out the previous year.
“It’s hard to accept that I won’t be lifting the Stanley Cup this year. But the way forward is to turn the page, focus on the positives, and start preparing for next season,” Swayman said.
