Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney doesn't mince words about impact of Cam Neely's "64 million reasons why" callout on Swayman's extension

Modified Oct 10, 2024 10:16 GMT

It may have taken longer than Boston Bruins fans would have been comfortable with, but goaltender Jeremy Swayman is now under contract for the upcoming 2024-25 season and beyond.

After a public standoff with Bruins management that resulted in his missing all of Training Camp and the exhibition schedule, Swayman agreed an eight-year, $66 million contract that carries an AAV of $8.25 million.

However, it was a contentious period that had many Bruins fans wondering if a deal was going to get worked out. Last week, Bruins team president Cam Neely called out Swayman and his representation, hinting that the team had offered Swayman a $64 million deal:

"I don't want to get into the weeds what his ask is, but I know there are 64 million reasons for him to be playing now," Neely said Monday.

While Swayman's representation immediately pushed back on his comments, the two sides have finally come to an agreement that keeps the goaltender as a member of the Bruins for the long haul.

How did Neely's words affect the negotiations? According to Sweeney, they didn't have a major impact.

“For me, that’s just an indication of both sides would like to find a deal, and ultimately we did," Sweeney said. "I don’t think it necessarily moved things because we had deadlines anyway.

“It’s a big day for the Boston Bruins and for Jeremy (Swayman) to be celebrating and moving forward, and we’re excited that he’ll be on the plane (to Florida) today,” Sweeney continued.

Sweeney also indicated that Swayman is not going to be the starting goaltender for Boston's regular-season opener against the Florida Panthers, but that he will be working himself back into game shape.

Jeremy Swayman is now the main man in Boston's crease

Swayman, who owns a career record of 79-33-15 with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage, is happy to put the past behind him and focus on the upcoming season.

“The fact that we went through this process, it’s gone now,” Swayman said. “All I care about is being a Bruin. The fact that I can do that for eight years and instill myself as a leader and as a true member of this city is all I care about.”

Because Swayman won't be starting for the Bruins when they take on the Panthers Tuesday night, first-year Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (whom Boston received from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Linus Ullmark) will get his first start with Boston.