It’s one of the most remarkable contract negotiations I’ve witnessed, and I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it unfold myself.
I was sitting in the bleachers at Ristuccia Memorial Arena in Wilmington during the fall of 1999, covering the first day of Boston Bruins training camp. Players slowly trickled out of the locker room and onto the ice.
Former Bruins general manager Mike O’Connell was observing the group from the open Zamboni entrance when an unexpected guest appeared. It was Aaron Downey, the burly Bruins enforcer, who sprinted out of the locker room despite not having a contract. Fully dressed in his uniform, Downey surprised the GM, leading to an impromptu negotiation right on the spot.
From my seat in the stands, I couldn’t hear the details, but the body language told the story.
The conversation was brief and direct, ending with a firm handshake before “Diesel” joined the rest of the team for practice.
“Aaron showed up saying he wanted to play,” O’Connell recalled, as they quickly worked out a deal right then and there.
If only all negotiations were that simple.
Fast forward to 2024. As the Boston Bruins prepare for captain’s practice on Tuesday, goalie Jeremy Swayman remains in a holding pattern.
The 25-year-old restricted free agent is still unsigned as he and the team work toward a new contract. Signing Swayman is Bruins general manager Don Sweeney’s top priority, and with $8.64 million in projected cap space, he’s in a good position to make a strong offer.
However, if reports of Swayman seeking $10 million per season are accurate, fans could be in for a prolonged standoff.
This isn’t Sweeney’s first challenging negotiation. He’s proven willing to pay top dollar for elite free agents, as seen with recent signings like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. He’s also been adept at retaining homegrown talent, locking down David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy with lucrative but cap-friendly deals.
But Swayman might be his biggest challenge yet. After earning $3.475 million last season, Swayman is due for a substantial raise, especially after his outstanding playoff performance last winter. With a 2.15 goals against average and a .933 save percentage in 12 postseason starts, he made a strong case for a significant pay increase.
Swayman’s stellar play led Sweeney to break up the successful goalie tandem, trading former Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators, effectively handing Swayman the starting role.
With the Ullmark trade complete, a new deal for Swayman seemed imminent. But as Labor Day weekend approaches with no news, fans are getting anxious.
If the reported $10 million per season demand is true, negotiations are bound to heat up.
“That’s an attention getter,” as Sherriff Buford T. Justice might say.
It’s an ambitious statement from Swayman’s camp, positioning him among the NHL’s highest-paid goaltenders. Only Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning and reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets currently command such salaries.
However, Boston’s current cap constraints make such a request a challenging starting point.
So, where is the compromise? That’s the big question.
According to Puckpedia, the NHL’s top 10 highest-paid goaltenders earn over $6 million annually.
Ilya Sorokin of the Islanders ($8.25 million), Carey Price of Montreal ($7.5 million), and Blues’ Jordan Binnington ($7.5 million) round out the top five. Seattle’s Philipp Grubauer ($6.8 million) and Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin ($6.67 million) make up the top seven. Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky ($6.5 million), Anaheim’s John Gibson ($6.4 million), and Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry ($6.4 million) complete the top 10.
Jacob Markstrom, Elvis Merzlikins, Darcy Kuemper, and Cal Petersen are also part of the NHL’s $6 million club.
There’s little doubt Swayman belongs in the top 10. The question is what the Bruins are willing to pay and what he’s ready to accept.
One thing’s for sure, Aaron Downey won’t be walking through that door anytime soon.