Bruins GM doesn’t expect arbitration with All-Star goalie again
Don Sweeney doesn’t expect to go to arbitration with Jeremy Swayman again.
On Sunday, Swayman said he was confident he and the Bruins would come to a long-term agreement during the offseason. Sweeney said he shared the goalie’s optimism at Wednesday’s end-of-the-season press conference.
“It’s clearly a priority, and Jeremy knows that, I told him,” Sweeney said. “It’s a priority now and it will continue to be a priority until we get that across the finish line. He’s a big part of our current team and our record in playoffs and our future.”
Swayman is likely seeking to be paid like a No. 1 goalie and strengthened his case for that with a strong postseason. At 25, he’s in his second season as a restricted free agent. Swayman and the Bruins went to arbitration last year to produce his $3.475 million contract. On numerous occasions, he mentioned he didn’t like the process.
“After dealing with what I did this summer with arbitration, hearing things that a player should never hear, it feels pretty special to be in this situation,” he said after being named an All-Star in January.
“I learned so much about the business side of things. It doesn’t matter what happens away from the rink. It’s all about what happens when you step through the doors every night. I’m very grateful to be in the position I’m in,” Swayman said on Jan. 15. “It was a great learning experience. I’m not going to lean on it. What’s happened is happened, I’m living in the present moment. It just goes back to the experience. I wouldn’t be the human being I am and the player I am if I didn’t go through it.”
Sweeney said it was Swayman, who chose to go to arbitration, where the player and team are pitted against each other to convince and independent party, what salary a restricted free agent should receive.
“Sometimes those things happen of course, and it’s not an indication of whether or not we didn’t believe in Jeremy Swayman,” he said. “We clearly engaged in conversation during regular season to define the longer-term extension, we haven’t gotten there yet.”
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