Tensions Escalate Between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman as Agent Drops Major Statement
Jeremy Swayman's agent has publicly refuted claims from the Boston Bruins regarding Swayman's current contract status, with his agent disputing Boston's claim of where the situation stands between both sides.
In a press conference this morning, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely added some heightened tensions to the current standoff between Swayman and the club, with Neely saying that he'd have "64 million reasons" to be playing for the team, which many have taken as a reference to what is the current contract offer presented from Boston to Swayman and his agent.
In response to the comments made by Neely earlier in the day, Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross of 'Sports Professional Management', put out a statement disputing the idea that a $64M contract was offered or ever on the table from Boston.
Gross said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, that the $64M number was the "first time the number was discussed' between the two sides, and that no contract was offered under that number.
The statement also says that Gross and Swayman will take time to discuss to determine next steps.
Neely also said that while a contract isn't in place at this time, but says that Swayman wants to play in Boston and the belief is that a deal can be done, but won't happen at this current time, although the Bruins continue to want to re-sign Swayman.
As it stands, Swayman is still a restricted free agent, his contract having ended at the conclusion of the 2023-24 NHL season. Boston traded Swayman's goaltending partner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, acquiring Joonas Korpisalo who will now start for the Bruins on opening night, which Swayman's future still up in the air and facing even more uncertainty now following the latest developments.
Gross' words about evaluating further options further leads to questions over how long Swayman could stay out without a contract in Boston, where last season goaltending was a major lean for the Bruins who lost Patrice Bergeron & David Krejci to retirement.
Swayman, 25, was a fourth round pick of the Bruins in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Swayman has played four seasons with Boston since the 2020-21 season, with a 79-33-15 record in 132 career NHL games. In 2023-24, Swayman had a 25-10-8 record with a 2.53GAA and a .916SV%, as well as appearing in 12 playoff games.
