TSN: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 Radio on what he’s hearing about the Boston Bruins and RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Aaron Korolnek: “It’s also, you know, it’s also RFA season, with people that still don’t have contracts signed, including a couple big names in Detroit like Moritz Seider and I’m trying to …”
Colaiacovo: “Raymond.”
Korolnek: “Lucas Raymond, but the big name out there for RFA is Jeremy Swayman right now in Boston. And there’s a lot of reports out there about how they’re far apart and how there’s a little rift going on.
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What’s your intel saying about how this whole Swayman situation is going to get figured out in Boston?”
Dreger: “Well, you’re always, you know, you’re always a ways apart until you’re not. And that can shift very quickly you know, with a phone call.
I, I think that Jeremy Swayman has played this out perfectly. You know, he hasn’t crawled into a hole somewhere and trained by himself. Now he he stayed in Boston and skated with his teammates and made sure that everyone there knew that he’s committed to being the Boston Bruins starting goaltender. The way he left the season, he wants to start this year, and for him, the focus is on being as good as he can be. And he was pretty good last year, wasn’t he for Boston?
But, you know, he’s confident they’re going to get that deal done. I’ve read some of the numbers, and I, from Boston’s position, with all due respect to Jeremy Swayman, yeah, he’s going to be their starter. I mean, they’ve got Joonas Korpisalo backing him up, and you know, that isn’t going to give anyone who wears the Bruins colors a whole lot of confidence when you look at what he wasn’t able to do with the Ottawa Senators.
But when, when you look at the resume of Jeremy Swayman, he hasn’t played a ton in the National Hockey League. So I think Boston is a little reluctant to give him the mega bucks.
You know, I’ve seen that, you know, he’s looking for something in the neighborhood of Charlie McAvoy at, at $9.5 (million), but I also read comments from Cam Neely, not that long ago, who confidently stated they’re going to get it done.
So was that confident statement, knowing where the negotiate, negotiation is, or is that putting little heat on Don Sweeney, the general manager to get something done?
What we know is that, you know, especially teams that are contending teams and Boston, is that you can’t afford to have your number one goaltender sitting in the weeds to start the season and blown off the first 10 games of the season.
NHL Rumors: RFA Goaltender Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins
So I think you’re going to get something done. I think it’s closer, I’m not saying it’s imminent, but I do think that the negotiations probably closer than what we’re reading about.”