Will Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman sign before camp? ‘He has a lot of leverage here’

BRIGHTON, Mass.

During Thursdays captains practice at Warrior Ice Arena, Jeremy Swayman occupied the net at the rinks west end, as he likes to do.

New partner Joonas Korpisalo was at the other end.

Whether Swayman will be in his preferred net come Sept.

18, the opening of training camp, remains to be seen.

Advertisement Swayman is without a deal.

Players who have not signed contracts before camp do not participate in on- or off-ice activities with their clubs.

It would leave the Boston Bruins to begin camp with Korpisalo (.890 save percentage last season with the Ottawa Senators ) and Brandon Bussi (zero games of NHL experience).

Swayman declined a request for comment.

General manager Don Sweeney and Lewis Gross, Swaymans agent, have less than two weeks to reach an agreement.

Gross represented Johnny and Matt Gaudreau, who died on Aug.

29.

They have to sign him to real term so he has a lot of leverage here, one NHL GM, granted anonymity to discuss a player not on his team, wrote of Swayman in a text.

Several Bruins have not reported for the start of previous camps because of unsigned contracts.

In 2017, David Pastrnak missed one day before signing a six-year, $40 million contract.

In 2019, Charlie McAvoy missed three days before signing a three-year, $14.7 million extension on Sept.

15.

Two days later, Brandon Carlo agreed to a two-year, $5.7 million contract.

Swayman stopped 348 of 373 shots in the 2023-24 playoffs.

His .933 save percentage was best in show among goalies with at least three postseason starts.

Swaymans surroundings in 2024-25 have changed.

Linus Ullmark , his partner for the last three seasons, is gone.

Following Ullmarks departure, Swayman projects to be at least a 55-game starter, assuming no deviations from his current development curve.

This season could be a launchpad for the Anchorage, Alaska native to claim an Olympics spot for Team USA.

For all that, the 25-year-old has never been a No.

1 goalie in the regular season.

You can see, then, why Swayman and the Bruins continue to disagree about the value of his next contract.

The employee believes he is one of the NHLs best goalies.

The employer may concur with that opinion but can point to the shortage of data in confirming it.

Advertisement Swayman is coming off a one-year, $3.475 million contract, which he was awarded after an uncomfortable arbitration hearing .

The Bruins elected a one-year award over a two-year agreement.

Swayman merits a premium over Thatcher Demko (five years, $25 million), his closest contract comparable in terms of age, contract status and past performance at the time of the deal.

Determining how much more is the trick.

Of the 12 goalies earning more than $5 million annually, nine were approaching unrestricted status when they signed.

Andrei Vasilevskiy was restricted when he signed his eight-year, $76 million contract on July 29, 2019.

Vasilevskiy, 25 at the time, had yet to win either of his two Stanley Cups.

But the workhorse had been the Tampa Bay Lightning s No.

1 goalie for three seasons.

Finalizing a pre-camp deal is in both parties interests.

Swayman cannot wait to assume an aces workload.

It would have been different for the Bruins had Ullmark, the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner, still been in the mix.

Now, they do not want to rely on Korpisalo and Bussi.

It may take time for goaltending coach Bob Essensa to rebuild Korpisalos game.

Ullmark did not feel comfortable incorporating Essensas suggestions until halfway through his first season with the Bruins.

Korpisalo and Essensa have talked regularly since the trade.

But they have yet to meet in person.

Korpisalo is friends with Tuukka Rask , one of Essensas previous charges.

Im really excited to see Bob, the goalie coach, and get to work with him and see whats on his mind, Korpisalo said.

Korpisalo is not guaranteed an NHL job once Swayman signs.

In fact, it may be more suitable for Korpisalo to begin 2024-25 in Providence if the Bruins believe his game needs further repair.

It is unlikely that any team would claim Korpisalo on waivers and assume his $3 million annual payday through 2028.

Advertisement This would allow Bussi to be Swaymans No.

2.

Bussi is signed for the $775,000 league minimum.

He would be far more likely to become a waivers claim.

Bussi, 26, trained this summer at nearby Merrimack College.

He had a .913 save percentage in 41 AHL appearances last year.

The Bruins traded Ullmark partly because they believed Swayman was ready to be a workhorse.

A contract comes first.

(Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images).

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