Jeremy Swayman has had a disappointing season in Boston, and now a top insider has hinted that the team could look to move away from him in the summer.
Last off-season was a very intriguing one for Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, who waited out the entire summer before inking a deal just before the regular season began, with many hinting that it would hurt his relationship with the locker room.
Nikita Zadorov's comments suggest potential rift in Bruins' locker room
On Sunday after their loss to the Los Angeles Kings, Nikita Zadorov seemingly hinted the same when he was asked about Swayman standing up for his teammates in his attempt to fight Kings goaltender Darcy Keumper.
Many saw that as Swayman stepping up for his teammates in a big moment, but when asked about it after the game, veteran defenseman Nikita Zadorov's tone and answer suggested something entirely different.
"Is that what it is?" asked Zadorov. "I don't know, no comment."
At this point, all signs are pointing towards Swayman feeling the need to win back his teammates in the locker room, and after an underwhelming season where he has posted just a 3.13 GAA and an .893 save percentage, it's understandable why.
Now, a top Boston Bruins insider has suggested this could all lead to Swayman potentially being traded in the off-season, with Jimmy Murphy asking the question before Swayman's NMC kicks in on July 1st.
It's unclear how many teams out there would be willing to pay the entire salary of Swayman given his down year and how he handled negotiations last summer, with the deal carrying an $8.25 million salary cap hit for seven years beyond 2024/25.
This all began purely as speculation about Swayman's relationship with the locker room, but where there's smoke, there's usually fire, and if his relationship with his teammates is as bad as some have suggested and a NMC not kicking in until the draft, moving No. 1 may be something that General Manager Don Sweeney ultimately considers.
There haven't been public signs of a rift thus far in 2024-25, but going back to this past offseason, Swayman held out for a very long time, and some suggest that this has played a part in the relationship to the locker room.
Obviously that's just purely speculation, but it's hard to ignore Zadorov's comments here suggesting something much more is at play, and with the team likely to miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this could get ugly over the next few weeks and months.
Ultimately, there haven't been public signs of a rift to this point in time, but the cracks are starting to show in the Bruins locker room, and with a group made up mainly of veterans struggling they way they have, it's safe to suggest that this may not be the last we've heard of it.
