It’s one of the most refreshing contract negotiations on record. And something I still wouldn’t have believed had it not unfolded right in front of me.
I was sitting in the bleachers of Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington in the fall of 1999. I was covering the first day of Boston Bruins training camp. One-by-one I watched as each player slowly filed out of the locker room and onto the ice.
Former Bruin general manager Mike O’Connell watched the assembled group gather from the open Zamboni entrance, when he was suddenly joined by an unexpected guest.
It was Aaron Downey. The burly Bruins enforcer bolted out of the locker room still without a contract, yet here he was. Dressed in full uniform, Downey surprised the GM and the impromptu negotiation took place right on the spot.
Although I was unable to hear the particulars from my vantage point in the stands, the body language spoke volumes.
The conversation was brief, to the point and ended with a firm handshake, before the man they called “Diesel” joined the rest of the squad for practice.
“Aaron showed up saying he wanted to play,” said O’Connell, who hashed out a deal with the enforcer right there and then.
If only they were all that easy.
Flash forward to 2024. The Boston Bruins kick off captain’s practice on Tuesday, while goalie Jeremy Swayman continues to play the waiting game.
The 25-year-old restricted free agent remains unsigned, as both player and team try to work on a new deal. Signing Swayman has been Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s top priority. And with $8,636,667 in projected cap space still available, he appears in a prime position to make the netminder a very attractive offer.
But if recent reports about Swayman seeking $10 million per season are to be believed, Bruins fans could be in for another long standoff.
This isn’t Sweeney’s first contractual rodeo. The Bruins general manager hasn’t been shy about paying big money to top-tier free agents. The recent signings of center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov have proven that. He’s also done a masterful job retaining his homegrown talent. He broke the bank for winger David Pastrnak while also inking defenseman Charlie McAvoy to lucrative yet cap-friendly long-term deals.
Swayman could be his biggest test to date. The goaltender earned $3,475,000 last season and is due for a significant pay raise. He only upped the ante with a sensational playoff performance last winter. The netminder posted a stellar 2.15 goals against average and .933 save percentage in 12 postseason starts.
His elevated play as a starter convinced Sweeney to break up his successful goalie tandem. The Bruins GM shipped former Vezina trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, effectively handing Swayman the keys to the Causeway Street kingdom.
With the Ullmark deal done, a corresponding move involving Swayman appeared evident. But with nothing new to report heading into Labor Day weekend, the fanbase is growing restless.
If the reported $10 million per season request is valid, the wheels of negotiation have been properly greased.
“That’s an attention getter,” as Sherriff Buford T. Justice would say.
It’s a bold ambitious statement from the Swayman camp about his place among the top paid goaltenders in the NHL. The top spot is rarified air indeed. Shared only by Stanley Cup champion Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.
Still, Boston’s current salary cap limitations make such a pitch a moot starting point.
So where is the mutual middle ground? Good question.
According to Puckpedia the NHL’s top 10 highest paid goaltenders are currently at the $6 million plus bracket.
Islander goalie Ilya Sorokin ($8.25), Montreal’s Carey Price ($7.5) and Blues netminder Jordan Binnington ($7.5) round out the top five. Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer ($6.8) and Ranger goalie Igor Shesterkin ($6,666,667) comprise the ultra-pricy top seven. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky ($6.5), Anaheim’s John Gibson ($6.4) and Pittsburgh’s Tristian Jarry ($6.4) round out the top 10.
Jacob Markstrom, Elvis Merzlikins, Darcy Kuemper and Cal Petersen complete the cast of the NHL’s $6 million dollar men.
There’s little doubt that Swayman should break into the coveted top 10. Its just a matter of what the Bruins are willing to spend, and what he is willing to accept.
One thing’s for sure, Aaron Downey isn’t walking through that door anytime soon.
