Bruins, Jeremy Swayman finally come to terms on a contract
The great stalemate between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman finally came to a merciful and peaceful end Sunday, as the sides finally found a landing spot by way of a $66 million contract.
Swayman’s deal will check in with a $8.25 million average annual value for eight years.
The deal, which was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, puts an end to what was a camp-long dispute between the sides. And one that almost got a little too hot for both sides last week, with Bruins president Cam Neely openly discussing the dollar amount offered by the Bruins and Swayman’s camp almost immediately denying that that amount was ever offered.
Swayman’s AAV ties him with the Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin for the fifth-highest AAV among NHL goaltenders, and the fourth-highest among active goaltenders.
In a season that ended with Swayman establishing himself as Boston’s true No. 1 goaltender during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the 25-year-old Swayman put together a campaign that featured a 25-10-8 record and .916 save percentage in 44 games for the Bruins. For his efforts, Swayman, who was also named to the 2024 All-Star Game, finished seventh in the voting for the Vezina Trophy.
Internally, Swayman’s status as Boston’s future franchise goaltender was never in doubt this summer, as the Bruins opted to move on from Linus Ullmark ahead of the final year of his contract by way of a trade with the Senators that ultimately netted the Bruins a 2024 first-round pick (later used to select Dean Letourneau), bottom-six forward Mark Kastelic, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. The Bruins also shut teams down when they would inquire about Swayman’s availability via trade.
Drafted by the Bruins with a fourth-round pick in 2017, the Alaska-born Swayman has compiled a 79-33-15 record, along with a .919 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average, in 132 games with the Bruins over the last four seasons.
