BREAKING LIVE: Bruins officially launched contract talk with NHL Veteran agent for Short-Term service as they tend to Bridge Deal worth over $10 million…
Labor Day has come and gone, the 2024–25 NHL season is almost upon us, and as training camp and the preseason approach, the Boston Bruins and their top goalie, Jeremy Swayman, are still at odds over a contract extension. Swayman is reportedly seeking $10 million annually.
As talks continue into Labor Day weekend, the Bruins are reportedly thinking of making Swayman an offer for a short-term bridging deal, according to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe.
In this manner, as they continue to search for a long-term solution, the Bruins would be able to better manage their cap space and still secure Swayman for the next season or two.
Given that the Bruins have yet to use Swayman as a full-time No. 1, they are looking to ink him to a bridge deal, one of maybe 3-4 years, scaled up from his $3.475 million of last season,” Dupont wrote. “The number could be, say, $22 million-$24 million if stretched to four years, at which point he then would eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at age 29.”
Swayman’s performance has been nothing short of stellar in his three full NHL seasons. He boasts a .919 save percentage in 132 career games and he’s already won the William Jennings Trophy while earning top-10 Vezina Trophy consideration last season.
In fact, the Bruins goalie accomplished enough to persuade the team to let go of teammate goalie and first baseman Linus Ullmark, who was sent to the Ottawa Senators earlier in the offseason. According to PuckPedia, the Bruins had $8.64 million in cap space as of September 1. Swayman is their final unsigned free agent; per the terms of the current CBA, all pending free agents must be signed by December 1st.
If Swayman remains unsigned by then, he would forfeit his right to play in the NHL for the remainder of the season.