Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman opts to not file for arbitration
A total of 14 NHL players elected to file for salary arbitration on Friday, but Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman wasn’t one of them.
Swayman not filing for arbitration can be looked at as a good sign, but it’s not known how close the two sides are to a new deal.
Not filing for arbitration keeps Swayman eligible for an offer sheet, however, the team can file for arbitration to avoid an offer sheet from a rival team. The deadline for filing for club-elected arbitration is 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Swayman went through the arbitration process last year and was vocal about not being a fan of the process. His side was going for a $4.8 million salary, while Boston countered with $2 million. The arbitration yielded a $3.475 million salary for the 2023–24 season.
“There’s no ill will on the process, because I understand that. I’m not the first player to go through it. I’m not the last,” said Swayman, who expressed his feelings last year. “But I definitely don’t wish it upon any of my friends and teammates moving forward, and I don’t want to do it ever again as well.”
The 25-year-old is looking for a long-term deal with Boston and could use the contract the Predators signed goalie Juuse Saros as a comp. Nashville inked their goaltender to an eight-year deal with an AAV of $7.74 million.
Saros is four years older than Swayman, so a comparison of the two players is not apples-to-apples. Swayman is heading into his prime years, and the Bruins will need to pay for that.
The Bruins have three foundational players: Swayman, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy. General manager Don Sweeney traded Linus Ullmark to Ottawa to open up the door for Swayman to become the starter.
“We’re going to continue to find a negotiated landing spot,” said Bruins general manager Don Sweeney on Monday at development camp. “The timing is what it is. However long it takes, it’s not impacted by what we did today. We’re in a great spot to find the best-negotiated deal we can find for both sides.”
The Bruins left a bad taste in Swayman’s mouth last summer with how arbitration went. The fact that the team has gone into free agency without a new deal for their No. 1 goalie is negligent on the part of Sweeney.
