“64 Million Reasons Why” Swayman should play

Bruins

“I believe we will get a deal done. It is unfortunate that it cannot take place today.”

The contentious contract negotiations between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman's camp may have reached a critical boiling point.

A little more than a week before the start of the regular season on October 8, Swayman is still without a contract.

Even if the 25-year-old goaltender puts pen to paper on a new contract in the next few days, he may not have the runway needed to be cleared for Game 1 replays against the Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena.

At this point, given the current state of these stalled talks, the best-case scenario might be for Swayman to miss Game 1 of 82.

Swayman can remain without a contract until December 1st. If the restricted free agent does not sign by then, he will be ineligible to play for the remainder of the season and the playoffs.

Throughout the offseason and into the fall, Don Sweeney and Boston's front office staff remained tight-lipped when it came to clarifying details about the term and payout of Swayman's unfinished contract.

During his tenure as Boston's general manager, keeping an eye on his cards was standard operating procedure for Sweeney and the Bruins.

But Bruins president and Hall of Famer Cam Neely was far more candid during Monday's season-opening press conference at TD Garden – suggesting the team made Swayman a $64 million offer.

“I don’t want to get into a mess with his question,” Neely noted. “But I know I have 64 million reasons why I would play now.”

Since The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported last week that the “only constant” in Swayman's contract demands was an eight-year deal, a $64 million payout would equate to an annual payout of $8 million.

If Swayman were to sign an eight-year, $64 million contract with Boston, he would be the fifth-highest paid goaltender in the NHL behind Sergei Bobrovsky ($10 million AAV), Andrei Vasilevskiy ($9.5 million), Connor Hellebuyck ( 8.5 million US dollars). and Ilya Sorokin ($8.25 million).

Neely acknowledged he was “surprised” by Swayman's first call this offseason, but also took issue with the fact that the Bruins had put Swayman under on their first pitch with a low ball.

“I think overall Don has done a really good job of making initial offers to the players,” Neely said. “One of the things we talked about when he got the job was that as a former player, I'm not a big fan of low-ball and high-ball and finding somewhere in the middle.

“It's like, OK, get the right comps, get the right comp group, put the right offer on the table. I think Don's past has shown he can close deals. This one’s a little trickier.”

Earlier this month, former NHL defenseman and “Spittin' Chiclets” host Ryan Whitney said – citing a “reliable” source – that the Bruins had offered Swayman a four-year contract worth $6.2 million per year .

While Sweeney vigorously pushed back against Whitney's claim that the Bruins did not finalize a contract or “return Swayman's calls within three weeks,” it remains to be seen exactly what Swayman and his camp are demanding in terms of annual payout, especially when all parties are focused on an eight-year contract.

Sportsnet's Elliott Friedman reported a few weeks ago that Swayman and his team were seeking a similar contract to defenseman Charlie McAvoy – which is equivalent to $9.5 million per year.

That would further put Swayman on par with Bobrovsky and Vasilevskiy, a scoring pair that won Vezina and won the Cup.

Given Swayman's previous comments about considering a growing cap space and rebalancing the goalie free agent market, both he and his agent Lewis Gross could be betting on his potential when it comes to his hefty new raise.

Neely made it clear on Monday that he believes Swayman when it comes to his desire to redefine the goaltending market with his new contract.

But considering Swayman has limited reps at this stage of his career, one could also argue that an $8 million annual payout has already gone into effect, and Boston believes so.

Despite Swayman's impressive performance during the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring, he has only played 132 games in his career.

As part of a dynamic tandem in net with Linus Ullmark over the past three years, 44 games played have been Swayman's biggest workload of his career. His highest finish in Vezina Trophy voting was seventh overall last year.

So far, Swayman has shown little on the ice that could dissuade him from the idea that he can develop into a franchise goaltender – especially now that Ullmark is the man between the pipes in Ottawa.

But given the volatility at the goalie position and Swayman's unproven track record in handling a No. 1 workload, a $64 million deal seems like a fair compromise — especially at this stage of the preseason.

“I truly believe Jeremy wants to play here,” Neely said. “I asked him straight away: 'Do you want to play here?' And he does. I believe we will reach an agreement. It is unfortunate that this did not happen today.”