Jeremy Swayman Signs New Eight-Year Deal Jeremy Swayman [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA4NjE3MTEwMDA2NDA4MzY1/usatsi_23257921_168400847_lowres.jpg] Jeremy Swayman The Jeremy Swayman contract saga is over. After a press conference held by the Boston Bruins on Sunday, it’s clear both the Bruins and Swayman wanted a long-term deal, and this was yet another case of each side playing hardball. “We both agreed that the longest deal we could find once we got to common ground was what we were hoping for and that's where it ended up,” Bruins GM Don Sweeney said. The Bruins drove one of the hardest contract bargains in recent memory, with Bruins president Cam Neely going as far as to claim Swayman’s camp turned down a $64 million contract, which Swayman’s agent responded to by saying that figure was never on the table. Sweeney also declared Joonas Korpisalo as the Bruins’ opening-night starting goalie, adding fuel to the fire. But on Sunday, Sweeney admitted that the Bruins never intended on letting negotiations bleed into the season. “We had deadlines anyway, from a standpoint of we wanted Jeremy in our lineup and he wants to play hockey,” Sweeney said. In the NHL’s new Amazon Prime Video docuseries, filmed during the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Swayman opened up about how the looming contract negotiations were gnawing at him. “[This] could be the last time I wear a Bruins jersey,” he said. But now with all the dust settled, the focus turns to hockey. “What I'm truly focused on is the future and the here-and-now and everything else was a blur in my mind and all I'm worried about is being in net for the Boston Bruins right now,” Swayman said. Sweeney said that Swayman will be on a plane today to join his teammates in South Florida, where their regular season begins against the defending champion Panthers on Tuesday. True to Sweeney’s word, Korpisalo will still be starting on opening night, so Swayman will be trying to get into game shape as fast as possible. “The team was being hurt and he himself without preparation and such,” Sweeney said. “Now we're fortunate that he does work hard and he'll be in a good spot to go in and support Joonas for opening night.” Beyond opening night, Sweeney said Swayman will get starts “when he feels comfortable.” Swayman shared that in lieu of missing Bruins training camp and pre-season games, he had an “oasis” at Boston University, where he was on the ice every day with the Terriers through their training camp. “They provided for me and obviously a great training place to keep my game sharp throughout this entire process.” Swayman’s eight-year, $66 million contract makes him the fourth-highest-paid active goalie, but this will be his first season as an undisputed No. 1 goaltender in the NHL. He joins a salary echelon including Stanley Cup winners and future Hall-of-Famers Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy, so the bar has been set high. Gone is 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, who helped create an ideal situation for Swayman to thrive as a tandem partner in Boston. Korpisalo is coming off a nightmare season with the Ottawa Senators, so Swayman will be expected to take on a true starter’s role as the sole 1A for the Bruins. The present is of utmost importance, as many have viewed the Bruins as a team with a closing Stanley Cup window, especially with their failure to advance beyond the second round since their trip to the final in 2019. But with David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and now Swayman all locked up for their prime years, anything is possible. “The end goal is to win a Stanley Cup and I believe that this is a group that can do it and have shots at it many years and every year I'm a part of it I'm going to make sure that's a reality.”
