Sweeney 'disappointed' Swayman contract isn't done
Unsigned restricted free-agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman isn't with the Boston Bruins as the team begins training camp.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney isn't pleased that the two sides haven't been able to find common ground on a new contract.
"I'm disappointed," Sweeney said Wednesday, per NBC Sports Boston. "When you set things as a priority in a general manager's spot, you do your best to try and accomplish that, and I haven't been able to do that yet."
Sweeney added that he's optimistic the Bruins will complete a deal before Dec. 1. If Swayman isn't signed by Dec. 1, he's ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.
Sweeney's been the club's GM since May 2015. He also squashed reports that a deal was finished and rumors that he ignored Swayman's phone calls during the offseason, insisting: "Some of the inconsistencies that have been reported are completely inaccurate."
"It's complete bullshit to say that I did not return someone's call for three weeks," Sweeney added, according to the Boston Globe's Conor Ryan.
Swayman relinquished his arbitration rights this offseason. After going through the arbitration process last summer, he vowed never to do so again. The Bruins have him under team control until 2026.
The 25-year-old posted a .916 save percentage in 44 games with the Bruins last season, ranking fifth among NHL goaltenders with 22.8 goals saved above expected, per Evolving-Hockey. He upped his game in the playoffs, recording a sparkling .933 save percentage in 12 appearances.
Swayman owns a lifetime .919 save percentage across four seasons with the Bruins.
The Bruins have $8.6 million in cap space, per PuckPedia. theScore projected in August that Swayman would sign a five-year contract with a $6.5-million average annual value - a deal that would make him the league's fifth-highest paid active goalie.
Joonas Korpisalo, who was acquired in an offseason trade that sent fellow goaltender Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, figures to get the bulk of the starts in net if Swayman's holdout continues into the season.
A nine-year NHL veteran, Korpisalo registered an .890 save percentage in 55 games with the Sens a year ago. He owns a lifetime .901 save percentage in 276 career appearances.
Brandon Bussi and Michael DiPietro, who have two career NHL starts combined, round out Boston's goalie depth chart.