Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman played this season on a 1 year, $3.475 million deal that he was awarded during arbitration. The 25-year-old Anchorage, Alaska native was not happy with the arbitration process and made it known, “Of course, I’m going to be upset in situations. I’m a human being,” said Swayman to The Athletic. “And I’m okay with that. That’s something I’ve worked on since college. It’s having these emotions, recognizing them, and using them to an advantage.” The netminder did use the slights he felt in the hearing to his advantage, Swayman proved he was worth more than the $2 million the Bruins offered him during arbitration (Swayman wanted $4.8 million). The former University of Maine backstop was part of a dynamic Bruins goaltending tandem that allowed only 221 goals this season (5th best in the NHL). Swayman was even better in the postseason, he still leads all goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected (13.3) even though he only played 12 games and his team was out in Round 2.
Swayman’s excellent season and ability to raise his level of play during the playoffs, have put “Sway” in a very advantageous position in his current contract negotiations. Swayman deserves number one goaltender money and to be paid among the top players at his position. The Bruins and Swayman have begun contract negotiations as the Bruins look to lock up their goalie of the future with a long-term extension. With Linus Ullmark’s status in flux and potential backup Brandon Bussi an RFA, there is a sense from both sides that they’d like to get this deal done as soon as possible.
Swayman should be looking at an offer for a 7 or 8-year contract that begins at $7 million per year. That would make him the 5th highest paid active goaltender based on the cap hit, following only Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky ($10.5 million), Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5 million), Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck ($8.5 million), and the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin ($8.25 million). This would also allow the Bruins to lock Swayman up before the goalie market resets following the 24-25 season when the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, Nashville’s Juuse Saros, and Dallas’ Jake Oettinger will all be looking for huge raises when their contracts expire.
Now is the time for the Bruins and Swayman to get his contract done. The benefit to getting a deal done now is the Bruins get to lock in a huge piece of their young core and give Swayman the long-term security that he’s been looking for since he entered the league. A fair place to land that should make Swayman happy and put the arbitration process in the rearview mirror would be an 8-year contract at $8 million per year. As the cap rises and the young Bruins netminder enters his prime the contract will look even better in the future. It’s a win for both sides that they might not have been able to see while sitting across from each other during the arbitration hearing.
