Things between the Boston Bruins and star goalie Jeremy Swayman haven’t been great these past couple of months, but last night, things went from bad to worse during the Bruins’ media availability.
Jeremy Swayman is a restricted free agent, and reports haven’t been positive throughout the summer. The two sides are reportedly deadlocked in a contract dispute that seems to have no end in sight. Yesterday, things got even more heated.
During a press conference, GM Don Sweeney and head coach Jim Montgomery commented that it seems increasingly unlikely Swayman will start in net on opening night next week.
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But things took an even worse turn when team president Cam Neely began speaking. Neely was asked about Swayman and where things stand at the moment, and he unexpectedly shared details about their latest offer.
“I know that I’d have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said.
However, Neely’s comments haven’t landed well with Swayman and his representatives. The star goalie’s agent responded to the comments made last night with a strongly worded statement about the current situation, saying he is “extremely disappointed” and even accusing the Bruins of lying.
“Normally, I do not release statements or discuss negotiations through the media,” the agent, Lewis Gross, said. “However, in this case, I feel the need to defend my client. At today’s press conference, $64 million was referenced. This was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level.
“We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.”
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One can only speculate on what Gross is referring to when he states they’ll need “a few days to discuss where we go from here.” Rumors about Swayman asking for a trade will surely increase from here on. But according to the Bruins and Cam Neely, Swayman still wants to play for Boston.
“I strongly believe that Jeremy wants to play here,” Neely said on Monday. “I’ve asked him flat-out, ‘Do you want to play here?’ And he does.”
