Bruins goalie Swayman not in camp with out deal

Boston Bruins common supervisor Don Sweeney mentioned that restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman is not going to participate in coaching camp with out a contract and pushed again on “inaccuracies” about their protracted negotiations.

Swayman, 25, is anticipated to be the first beginning goaltender for the Bruins after they traded tandem-mate Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators within the offseason.

Swayman made $3.475 million on a one-year contract final season, which was awarded by way of arbitration. He opted to not file for arbitration this offseason and the Bruins declined to take Swayman to arbitration, leaving his subsequent contract to be determined by way of negotiations between Sweeney and agent Lewis Gross.

Sweeney mentioned Swayman has “chosen to attend, and rightfully so, till a contract is settled” earlier than reporting to the Bruins, including that he is “disillusioned” that Swayman will not be in attendance.

“Daily that Jeremy is out, it hurts our staff and it hurts him, due to the preparation that we would love to do and he must do,” mentioned Sweeney, talking at Bruins coaching camp Wednesday.

Though he would not predict when a deal would get performed, Sweeney mentioned he anticipated Swayman would rejoin the Bruins earlier than Dec. 1, which is the deadline for the contract to be legitimate for this season.

Swayman performed 44 video games for the Bruins final season. In 4 seasons with Boston, Swayman is 79-33-15 with a .919 save share and a 2.34 goals-against common. He was given the nod because the staff’s prime goaltender throughout the offseason. Sweeney mentioned that each Ullmark and Swayman wished to play upward of 55 video games this season. “Which is unattainable. So we decided,” he mentioned.

Ullmark was traded in June to Ottawa in a deal that noticed veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo shipped to Boston. Korpisalo and 26-year-old Brandon Bussi are anticipated to have the crease till Swayman is again in.

There have been reviews that the Bruins supplied Swayman an eight-year contract, the utmost size the NHL permits. There have additionally been reviews that Swayman’s camp is on the lookout for upward of $9.5 million in common annual worth on his subsequent contract.

Though Sweeney did not speak about specifics in his negotiations, he angrily pushed again on what he known as “inaccuracies” in reviews about his talks with Swayman. Particularly, Sweeney railed in opposition to a report on the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast this month that Sweeney had not returned calls from Swayman for 3 weeks.

“It has been reported we have been incommunicative. That is removed from the reality. I believe you would be hard-pressed to seek out anyone within the league the place I would spend three weeks not returning a cellphone name,” he mentioned. “I am not speaking specifics. You are simply not going to get them. However I believe it is bulls— that someone says I would not return a name for 3 weeks. That is inaccurate.”

He additionally pushed again on a report that the 2 sides have been near a deal as Bruins camp opened.

“It is 100% inaccurate. [Can I] make it any extra pointed than that?” Sweeney mentioned earlier than leaving the rostrum and ending the information convention.