Bruins set high asking price for possible Jeremy Swayman trade!

There is still hope that the Boston Bruins can will sign RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman to a contract soon, however, ever since team president Cam Neely insinuated that the club had offered the netminder a $64 million contract, which was quickly denied by Swayman’s camp, it got uglier and trade rumours have been added to the mess.

It was recently stated by insider Frank Seravalli that the Bruins’ actual offer was slightly less than what Neely hinted at, reporting instead a deal closer to $62.4 million, or an average annual value of $7.8 million over eight seasons.

“I don’t think that they put a $64 million offer on the table. In fact, my understanding is that the Bruins have offered eight years x $7.8 million, which is $62.4 million. So maybe Cam Neely had a little fun with numbers,” said Seravalli.

The ball is in Swayman’s court at this time, and as it goes by, pundits and fans are wondering about trade destinations with some already claiming the Vegas Golden Knights, the Utah Hockey Club and the Chicago Blackhawks could enter the mix. The Colorado Avalanche and New Jersey Devils have also been mentioned in the rampant rumour mill.

The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa understands why trade rumours have surfaces, but believes the Bruins will set a high asking price for Swayman, plus the acquiring club would still have to sign him:

“The Bruins would set the bar high. Not only that, an acquiring team would have to meet Swayman’s price, which he would be unlikely to decrease. Giving Swayman an eight-year, $76 million deal, for example, would smash the league’s current market for restricted free agent goalies. Whether any team would be willing to take that step is unknown.”

Swayman and the Bruins have been deadlocked in a highly publicized contract dispute and both sides have until Dec. 1 to come to an agreement or else Swayman will remain inactive for the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

If the trade price would be set high, the priority to sign Swayman as soon as possible should be listed even higher. Some serious work still needs to be done if both camps hope to get a new contract done before the Bruins’ season opener on Tuesday.