Montgomery: 'No doubt' Swayman will be with Bruins at training camp
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montomgery is confident goaltender Jeremy Swayman will be with the team when training camp opens Sept. 18.
"I don't have anything to do with the contract situation. That's not part of my job detail," Montgomery told reporters Friday, including WMTW's Joe Bailey. "My job is my connection with the players, and how we're going to be good this year. And I have no doubt Jeremy Swayman will be a Bruin at the start of camp, and we'll be ready to go."
Swayman is an unsigned restricted free agent after relinquishing his arbitration rights this offseason. He vowed to never go through the process again after he did so last summer.
The Bruins possess $8.64 million in cap space, with Swayman as their only remaining RFA. Team president Cam Neely recently reiterated his belief that the two sides will find middle ground soon.
"Something will get done. There's no question," Neely said Thursday. "I mean, not every negotiation is as smooth as you'd like it. I know our fan base would certainly love to have something done by now. But I'm fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here."
Swayman himself also expressed confidence recently that a deal will get done, saying "it'll work out."
The 25-year-old recorded a .916 save percentage in 44 games with the Bruins last season. He ranked fifth in the NHL in goals saved above expected, per Evolving-Hockey.
Swayman elevated his game further during the postseason, posting a dazzling .950 save percentage in Boston's Round 1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs and a stellar .917 mark in the Bruins' Round 2 loss to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
He projects to take on a larger workload this year after his tandem mate, Linus Ullmark, was traded to the Ottawa Senators in a deal that brought back veteran netminder Joonas Korpisalo.
The Bruins drafted Swayman in the fourth round in 2017. The Anchorage, Alaska, native enjoyed a standout NCAA career at the University of Maine before turning pro in 2021.