Agent denies Bruins offered RFA G Jeremy Swayman $64M
The representative for star goalie Jeremy Swayman responded to the Boston Bruins for remarks made by team president Cam Neely regarding their contract negotiations.
During a press conference on Monday, Neely stated, "I don't want to get into the details of what (Swayman's) asking for, but I have 64 million reasons why I would be playing right now."
Neely then jokingly added that he was surprised by Swayman's requested salary.
Neely's comments suggested that the Bruins had offered Swayman a contract worth $64 million, likely an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $8 million, which would make him one of the highest-paid goalies in the NHL, according to NHL.com.
Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross, released a statement on Instagram denying that the Bruins had ever offered his client such a large sum.
"I typically do not make statements or discuss negotiations through the media," Gross wrote. "However, in this situation, I feel the need to defend my client. During today's press conference, $64 million was mentioned. This was the first time that number was brought up in our discussions. Prior to the press conference, no offer had been made at that level."
"We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take some time to discuss our next steps."
Swayman, a restricted free agent, has not joined the Bruins for training camp with only eight days until their season opener against the Florida Panthers.
The 25-year-old played last season on a one-year, $3.475 million contract awarded by an independent arbitrator. He is the only unsigned RFA in the NHL at this point.
In parts of four seasons with Boston, Swayman has a record of 79-33-15, a .919 save percentage, and a 2.34 goals-against average. He and Linus Ullmark shared the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2022-23 after allowing the fewest goals as a team in the NHL.
In June, the Bruins traded Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, making way for Swayman to take over as the starting goalie. Without him in camp, the team is relying on veteran Joonas Korpisalo and prospect Brandon Bussi as their goalie duo.