An arbitrator awarded Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman a one-year deal valued at a $3.475 million, as reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The Bruins opted for a one-year award, meaning Swayman will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights again next summer.
Swayman’s new contract is a significant raise from his prior deal that was valued at a cap hit of $925,000. Considering Boston wanted a deal with a cap hit of $2 million and Swayman’s camp was looking for $4.8 million, the arbitrator’s award fell roughly in between the initially proposed values from both parties.
Swayman, 24, put forth his best statistical season in 2022-23. While suiting up in 37 games for the league-leading Bruins, he posted a 24-6-4 record with a 2.27 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. The latter stat ranked him fourth in the NHL last season with only Ilya Sorokin, Filip Gustavsson and Swayman’s teammate Linus Ullmark, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner, ahead of him.
Swayman’s contract is comparable to that of fellow Atlantic Division goaltender Ilya Samsonov. The Toronto Maple Leaf netminder was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract just a few days ago and had very similar stats this past season to Swayman’s.
With Swayman now locked up, the Bruins have two netminders in Ullmark and Swayman who are capable of taking on starting role duties if need be. The Bruins are now paying a total $8.475 million for their current goaltending tandem.
There’s no doubt that Swayman and Ullmark will continue to battle for the designated No. 1 goaltender role as the season elapses for the Bruins. One thing to monitor will be if Boston continues with its current tandem or decides to trade one of the talented goaltenders in an effort to upgrade other areas of the roster moving ahead. The B's have a capable No. 3 waiting in the AHL in prospect Brandon Bussi.
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