Insider: ‘Move Mountains’ to Avoid Arbitration Amid Jeremy Swayman Chaos

The Boston Bruins and their prospective starting goaltender Jeremy Swayman are still navigating the contract extension of the latter ahead of the new season. For now, all we know is that Boston has failed to re-sign Swayman and that for the time being, during training camp, the team will rely on backup goalie Joonas Korpisalo while trying to reach an agreement with their main netminder.

Last season, for context, Swayman and the Bruins went through a difficult arbitration process after failing to agree on a new contract. Ultimately, an arbitrator awarded Swayman a one-year, $3.75 million deal. In the eyes of Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, this process might have left a lasting impact on the relationship between the player and the team, thus the never-ending contract negotiations taking place this offseason. Friedman noted in his September 16 “32 Thoughts” column that teams should avoid taking key players like Swayman to arbitration, as it can cause lasting tension.

“One thing that’s definitely happened with Swayman: it has reminded teams why you should move mountains before taking cornerstone players to arbitration,” Friedman wrote. Friedman referenced past cases such as those of Tommy Salo, P.K. Subban, and Shea Weber, where arbitration led to bitterness between the players and their respective teams. Arbitration, by nature, often leads to players feeling undervalued, which can sour the relationship moving forward. Despite that past development, there’s still hope for a positive outcome after Boston declined to get Swayman to arbitration for a second consecutive year last July.

According to Friedman, the Bruins are confident of reaching a deal soon with the netminder wanting a long-term contract. “The best news for the Bruins is their No. 1 goalie still wants to sign long-term,” Friedman wrote. That means both sides will most probably avoid arbitration for a second time in as many offseasons.

The 25-year-old goalie had an impressive season in 2023-24, finishing with a 25-10-8 record, a .916 save percentage, and a 2.53 goals-against average in 44 games. His stellar playoff performance was even better, with Swayman posting a league-leading .933 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average. As training camp approaches, however, Swayman remains unsigned and if he doesn’t sign a deal by December 1 he will be forced to forfeit and skip the full 2024-25 season.