Jeremy Swayman is, as of this writing, the only restricted free agent still unsigned in the NHL with the start of the regular season about a week away.
The Boston Bruins and the 25-year-old goalie haven't been able to work out a contract thus far. Swayman has to sign by Dec. 1 to be eligible to play during the 2024-25 season, per the league's collective bargaining agreement.
Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, president Cam Neely, general manager Don Sweeney and head coach Jim Montgomery met the media for their annual start-of-the-season press conference Monday. All four talked about Swayman's situation, but Neely was the most candid of the group.
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Sweeney was asked if he was surprised by Swayman's contract ask, and before he could fully finish answering the question, Neely interjected with, "I was."
Neely was asked why he was surprised and to provide, if he could, any specifics of Swayman's ask.
"I don't want to get into the weeds with what his ask is, but I know I have 64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now," Neely said.
This comment implies the Bruins have offered Swayman a $64 million deal. Neely didn't say how much term has been offered, but an eight-year contract with a salary cap hit of $8 million would total $64 million. Again, the Bruins didn't say they offered him an 8x8 deal, but no other term makes sense with a $64 million offer to Swayman.
An 8x8 contract would give Swayman the sixth-highest cap hit of any goalie for the 2024-25 season. There are only five goalies with a cap hit above $6.4 million for the 2024-25 campaign right now.
A $64 million deal would be a very fair offer from the Bruins. Swayman is a top 10 goalie coming off a stellar run in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. But he's also never been a No. 1 goalie for a full season. His career high for starts in a regular season is 43. He has started just 125 regular season games in four years.
He does not have the achievements or a resume that compares to the other top-five paid goalies. An average annual salary of $8 million would be more than double what Swayman made last season ($3.475 million).
The salary cap could also rise at a decent rate for the foreseeable future. An 8x8 deal looks good now, but what if the cap rises significantly over the course of the contract? All of these things have to be considered by both sides.
"I strongly believe Jeremy wants to play here. I've asked him flat out, do you want to play here, and he does," Neely said. "I believe they'll get a deal done. It's unfortunate it's not done today."