The Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman drama has seemingly reached an all-time high, however, according to NHL Insider Pierre Lebrun, Swayman is staying put.
The Boston Bruins found themselves their goaltender of the future when they drafted Jeremy Swayman, and he's been lights out for the team ever since, leading them to both regular season and playoff success, though hasn't yet won a Stanley Cup. His ascension to among the best goaltenders in the world has led the Bruins and Swayman to come to a bit of an impasse when it comes to a future contract.
It's that impasse that has caused so much drama in the past few days, with bickering between both parties as Boston's claim of a $64M contract offer was swiftly refuted by Swayman and his agent, causing a ruckus that has muddied the future of Swayman in black and gold.
But for NHL Insider Pierre Lebrun, all of this back and forth will end up all for naught and Swayman will find his way between the pipes once again.
'I think it gets done eventually, believe it or not, despite all the drama of this week, but how the player feels about things will be interesting.'
It's an interesting tidbit of speculation that could have big implications for both Boston and Swayman. For the Bruins, they have to worry about whether or not to re-sign the long-time fan favorite albeit pesky Brad Marchand; they could get lucky and get a hometown discount but nothing is for certain. Not to mention they have several RFA's who need extensions come the summer, and risking losing Morgan Geekie, Trent Frederic, or Mason Lohrei. Swayman will also be looking to set himself up for the future, not only financially but mentally. It's not easy to just up and move to a brand new city with a new culture, and the sudden shift may be an issue for Swayman should he leave Boston even if the pastures are greener.
Lebrun also touched on those issues and stated that Swayman may be less inclined to jump on the next deal due to the unprofessional nature of GM Cam Neely and the Bruins the last few days:
'Separate for a moment the financial resolution that needs to happen. At some point, they'll find the number, I think. But Jeremy Swayman, I think, is probably a little hurt right now. And the reparation of that relationship is now part of this thing as well. Not just the actual contract negotiations.'
When the Maple Leafs passed on Swayman, even though he thought they were drafting him, it may have given him some extra motivation to prove that he could be Boston's #1 and given his track record against the Maple Leafs there has to be a correlation somewhere. But Swayman is dominating the entire NHL, and he deserves to be paid as such.
It's time for the Bruins and Swayman to ease off the tension and come together to be the dominant team they were only a few years ago.
