Jeremy Swayman on Bruins' tenure: 'I don't want it to end'

Restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who is currently in a contentious contract dispute with Boston, said in the NHL's new Amazon Prime Video docuseries that he would “do everything in my power to be a Bruin for a long time.” be”.

Swayman appears in Episode 3 of “FACEOFF: Inside the NHL,” which chronicles the Boston Bruins' six playoff losses to the Florida Panthers last season. Swayman has made it clear that he would like to remain with the Bruins as restricted free agency looms.

“I mean, I don’t want it to end,” he said on the show. “(This) might be the last time I wear a Bruins jersey. I know I will do everything in my power to be a Bruin for a long time. As a kid growing up in Alaska, that was my wildest form. “I want it to never end. I'm just so grateful that the sun will come up tomorrow and there'll be another opportunity for things to get better.

“Whatever I can do to help this team win. I know everything else will fall into place.”

The Bruins named the 25-year-old Swayman their primary starting goaltender when they traded fellow tandem Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in June. However, they failed to sign Swayman to a new contract. Swayman declined to report to Bruins training camp without a deal.

The relationship between the goalkeeping camp and the team is controversial. The Bruins said Monday that Joonas Korpisalo, signed to replace Ullmark, is the likely starter for their season opener on Oct. 8. At the same press conference, team president Cam Neely said he was surprised by Swayman's asking price.

“I don’t want to go into depth with his question,” he said, “but I know I have 64 million reasons why I would play right now.”

Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross, claimed the Bruins never offered that sum during their talks and expressed disappointment that the team publicly discussed their talks.

“We are extremely disappointed. That wasn’t fair to Jeremy,” Gross said.

This isn't the first contentious contract negotiation between Swayman and the Bruins. In 2023, they moved to salary arbitration, with Swayman receiving a one-year, $3.75 million contract. On the Amazon Prime show, Swayman says this process has been difficult for him.

“When you walk into that room, you don’t say a word,” he said. “My referee started first and said all these great things. The referee on his side… his job is to help management and rip off players. Hearing that you're not worthy of what you think you deserve.” was hard to hear. You don't forget what was said.

The Bruins goaltender said he wrote down every criticism he heard during the hearing into a checklist that he will refer to during the season.

“My biggest downfall was that I wasn’t trustworthy in the playoffs. Check,” Swayman said, waving his hand at a checkmark.

The goaltender had a 6-6 record in the 2024 postseason with a .215 goals-against average and an NHL-best .933 save percentage. But the Bruins lost in the second round to the Panthers, the same team that eliminated them in the previous postseason.

“It's disgusting to think that I won't be hoisting a Stanley Cup over my head this year. The way I can do that is to turn the page, see positives and work toward next year,” Swayman said.