Swayman, agent ‘disappointed,’ say Bruins never offered $64M

Greg Wyshynski, ESPNSep 30, 2024, 09:20 PM ET

CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

The contract standoff between the Boston Bruins and restricted free-agent Jeremy Swayman reached a new level of contentiousness on Monday as the goaltender’s agent emphatically pushed back on what the team claimed it had offered him.

Swayman, 25, opted not to attend Bruins training camp without a new contract. Coach Jim Montgomery said that goaltender Joonas Korpisalo is expected to start the Bruins’ season opener on Oct. 8 vs. the Florida Panthers.

At a preseason press conference on Monday in Boston, team president Cam Neely said he believes Swayman wants to play in Boston but that it’s “unfortunate” a deal isn’t yet done.

“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is,” he said, “but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now.”

Swayman’s agent Lewis Gross shot back at the Bruins on Monday night, disputing those contract numbers while expressing disappointment in the team discussing them.

“Normally, I do not release statements or discuss negotiations through the media. However, in this case, I feel I need to defend my client. At today’s press conference, $64 million was referenced. That was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level,” Gross said in a statement on Instagram.

“We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy,” Gross continued. “We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.”

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The Bruins “respectfully passed” on addressing Gross’s comments when contacted by ESPN’s Kristen Shilton.

Neely expressed surprise over Swayman’s asking price, saying he believes Swayman wants to reset the goalie market with his contract.

“I do. What his ask is, and what we believe his comp group is, are two different things,” Neely said.

Swayman, 25, is expected to be the primary starting goaltender for the Bruins after they…

Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/41540569/swayman-agent-disappointed-say-bruins-never-offered-64m

Author : Greg Wyshynski

Publish date : 2024-10-01 02:25:55

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