Ryan Whitney fires back at Bruins GM Don Sweeney

UPDATE: Spittin' Chiclets host Ryan Whitney has fired back at Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney after Sweeney last week called Whitney's reporting 'bullshit'.

Whitney reported on his podcast that Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman received an insulting offer from Sweeney and the Bruins and that the Bruins were 'ignoring Swayman's calls for 3 weeks' during offseason negotiations. Sweeney called those reports BS and he referred to Whitney's podcast as the 'Spitting Up On Yourself Podcast'...

I mean... I get that Sweeney is frustrated, but that's just not a good joke. Yeesh...

In any case, Whitney has doubled down on his reporting now saying, “I stand by what I was told. He’s gonna call me a liar, I think he’s fudging a little bit… Maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle. But I knew the offer and it was a lowball, slap in the face offer and this is a players podcast”.

Whitney's full comments:

Read below for our earlier published report on this story authored by Hockey Feed staff writer Chris Gosselin.

Earlier on Wednesday, we relayed the information from the Boston Bruins’ training camp and general manager Don Sweeney that, as of now, goalie Jeremy Swayman will not be on the ice with the rest of his teammates as long as he remains without a contract.

The GM added that he was “disappointed” that Swayman won’t attend camp though he made sure to say he was optimistic that the netminder would be signed ahead of the Dec. 1 RFA deadline.

One thing that Sweeney didn’t mind sharing more about and going off on was a remark made about the contract stalemate from a prominent media member and former NHLer.

Earlier this month, Sweeney got wind that “Spittin’ Chiclets” co-host Paul Bissonnette had reported that the Bruins were “ignoring Sway’s calls” amid negotiations.

In his press conference on Wednesday, the Bruins’ GM vehemently shut down the rumours and did not mince his words, calling it the “Spitting Up On Yourself” podcast.

“I think it’s bulls—t that somebody says I wouldn’t return a call for three weeks,” Swayman told reporters. “There. That’s inaccurate. Was it said? Was it written? I will tell you, I don’t listen to podcasts. My son loves Biz, thinks he’s fabulous. I think he’s a great entertainer. But at the end of the day, it’s inaccurate. And that’s OK because that’s all part of the business nowadays. It’s OK if you turn around and say it’s your opinion, your belief, but don’t report it as fact. That’s all. That’s all I’m asking.”

Bissonnette quickly replied back to the general manager’s statement, saying:

“I love Don. I love Don’s son. I love lamp. Although Don is reporting fake news about fake news, apparently. I did not report 1 thing about the Swayman signing. It was Squanto’s father who reported it. I stand by my partner.”

The Spittin’ Chiclets podcast has covered the ongoing contract stalemate in Boston for weeks now. Earlier this month, co-host Ryan Whitney got involved in the Swayman’s contract negotiations when he revealed on air the Bruins’ offer to the restricted free agent goaltender. Recent reports had claimed that the goalie was seeking $10M AAV for his next contract as he continues to negotiate, while insider Frank Seravalli just claimed that Swayman is asking for around $8 million AAV, while the Bruins are sitting around $6 million AAV.

After trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators earlier this summer, the Bruins look to Swayman to lead the way in Boston after he recorded a .916 save percentage in 44 games and ranked fifth in the NHL in goals saved above expected.
Let’s hope that Sweeney has a better attitude when it comes to facing Swayman and his demands than he did handling the reports from what he calls the “Spittin’ Up on Yourself Podcast”.