Bruins have offered Jeremy Swayman a $64 million contract

The Bruins have offered a netminder to RFA Jeremy Swayman A contract worth a total of $64 million, team president Cam Neely told reporters on Monday (via Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub). He didn't confirm the length of the agreement, but it's safe to assume he was referring to an eight-year deal with a cap hit of $8 million.

“I have 64 million reasons why I would play right nowNeely said in reference to Swayman's continued absence. He added that Swayman “Full throttle“told the club that he wanted to stay in Boston, whichever suits him with a report from Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic early Monday.

For now, all signs point to Swayman being out of contract when the Bruins trade their Opening Night roster next week. Chief Executive Officer Don Sweeney said it is “unlikely“Swayman will be ready with his head coach for the start of the regular season.” Jim Montgomery confirms that Joonas Korpisalo is expected to start against the Panthers on October 8th after a strong performance in camp (according to Conor Ryan of the Boston Globe).

Swayman, 27, was vocal this summer about his desire to set the bar for future goaltending contracts after he was awarded a one-year, $3.475 million deal in arbitration in the summer of 2023. Season SV% and a playoff SV% of 0.922 – but never started more than 45 games in a season.

He and Linus Ullmarkwhich the Bruins traded to the Senators at the beginning of the summer to give Swayman the undisputed starting spot, have been the backbone of Boston's success over the past two seasons. Their importance was particularly evident last year, as they combined for a .915 SV% to keep the Bruins afloat in the Atlantic Division despite posting below-average 5-on-5 possession numbers overall.

If he remains without a contract for a significant portion of the season, that puts Boston in a tough spot with Korpisalo. While the team exudes confidence after a strong preseason performance, the 30-year-old is coming off a disastrous 2023-24 season with Ottawa, posting an .890 SV% and 3.27 GAA in 50 appearances. The margin of play in the first two months of the year could be enough to cost the Bruins a playoff spot in a highly competitive Atlantic field. Swayman has until December 1 to sign a contract to be eligible to play this season.