The Boston Bruins and goaltender Jeremy Swayman have until Dec. 1 to agree on a contract. Will there be a standoff into the season? Jeremy Swayman [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA5NDIxMTE5MDI1ODUwMDA2/usatsi_22374399_168400847_lowres.jpg] Jeremy Swayman By the time you read this, goaltender Jeremy Swayman could have a new contract with the Boston Bruins or he and Bruins GM Don Sweeney could be settling in for a long standoff. On Wednesday, Sweeney told reporters the 25-year-old RFA wouldn't report [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/boston-bruins/latest-news/bruins-training-camp-roster-has-one-big-omission] to training camp until a new contract was finalized. He expressed disappointment [https://bostonhockeynow.com/2024/09/18/jeremy-swayman-boston-bruins-unsigned-not-expected-training-camp-don-sweeney-sep-18-2024/] that a deal couldn't be struck but remains optimistic they'll reach an agreement before the 5 p.m. ET deadline on Dec. 1. If Swayman isn't signed by then, he'll be ineligible to play the remainder of this season. Neither side will want that to happen. As Sweeney pointed out, it'll be detrimental to the goaltender and the Bruins the longer he goes unsigned. Swayman will lose a year of work and wages while the Bruins could struggle without their starting netminder. Swayman completed a one-year, $3.75-million arbitration-awarded contract last summer. His negotiations took an ominous turn [https://thehockeynews.com/news/jeremy-swaymans-contract-talks-with-the-boston-bruins-take-an-interesting-turn] in late August when a report claimed he sought an average annual value of $10 million. On Sept. 6, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman claimed [https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1832034038112284981] the young goaltender sought $9.5 million. The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa cited [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5777530/2024/09/18/bruins-jeremy-swayman-missing-training-camp/] Spittin' Chiclets podcaster Ryan Whitney claiming the Bruins offered $6.2 million on a four-year deal. Sweeney dismissed a report [https://bostonhockeynow.com/2024/09/18/bruins-gm-don-sweeney-calls-bs-on-false-swayman-rumors/] by Whitney's partner Paul Bissonnette claiming the Bruins GM wasn't returning Swayman's phone calls. “I think it's bulls--- that somebody says I wouldn't return a call for three weeks,” he said, adding the Bruins were in constant communication with the goalie's representatives. Meanwhile, the standoff has already sparked some fan-generated trade speculation. The latest has the Bruins shipping [https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/jeremy_swayman_implicated_in_blockbuster_hypothetical_trade_scenario/s1_17449_40905852] Swayman to the Colorado Avalanche for goalie Alexandar Georgiev and defenseman Samuel Girard, overlooking the latter's nine-team no-trade list and the Avs' salary-cap uncertainty [https://puckpedia.com/team/colorado-avalanche] regarding sidelined captain Gabriel Landeskog and suspended right winger Valeri Nichushkin. Sweeney hasn't reached the stage where he'd consider trading Swayman. His preference remains to get him signed as soon as possible. Nevertheless, this probably won't be the last time Swayman's name comes up in trade rumors, especially if this saga spills over into the start of the season.
