Jeremy Swayman may have just cost himself millions of dollars

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Axel Williams
September 2, 2024 (8:09 PM)

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Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins are currently involved in a contract dispute that is not getting sorted out anytime soon.

Swayman is looking for eight figures per year. Meanwhile, the Bruins only have $8.6 million in cap space. According to Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe, there is a scenario in which Swayman gets stuck with a bad deal. The contract in question about be a bridge deal that keeps Swayman locked up for four years, while only paying him a fraction of what he actually wants.

Given that the Bruins have yet to use Swayman as a full-time No. 1, they are looking to ink him to a bridge deal, one of maybe 3-4 years, scaled up from his $3.475 million of last season. The number could be, say, $22 million-$24 million if stretched to four years, at which point he then would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at age 29.

If this kind of deal were to get signed, it would be awful for Swayman. As we previously stated, Swayman has been looking for $10 million per year. However, getting only $6 million per year would force him to lose out on millions over the course of half a decade. While the Igor Shesterkin angle certainly makes you think Swayman could make even more later down the line, that is not a guarantee. Goaltenders don't have the same longevity they used in terms of performance. If he stinks it up over the course of the next 4-5 seasons, then he won't be worth nearly as much as he is now.

One has to wonder if simply taking $8 million per year for eight years would have been his best plan of attack. Instead, he has asked for way too much, and in turn, has put himself in a much worse situation. Not exactly a great start to the post-Linus Ullmark era.

Do you believe Swayman should sign a bridge deal? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world.

Source: Boston Globe/NHL Trade Rumors
Report: Jeremy Swayman & Bruins Could Settle On Bridge Deal