The Boston Bruins are still without a contract for star goaltender Jeremy Swayman, but General Manager Don Sweeney has made it clear he’s not happy with recent reports about the team’s handling of the situation.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Sweeney addressed rumors suggesting that he and the Bruins front office had been ignoring Swayman’s calls during the offseason.
“I think it’s bulls— that someone said I wouldn’t return a call for three weeks,” a visibly frustrated Sweeney said. “That’s inaccurate.”
Sweeney was responding to speculation started by former player Ryan Whitney, co-host of Barstool’s “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast. Whitney had claimed that a source told him Sweeney was not returning Swayman’s calls. Sweeney referred to the podcast derisively as the “Spittin’ up on yourself podcast” without directly naming Whitney. His co-host, Paul Bissonnette, responded to the controversy on social media platform X, denying any involvement in spreading the rumor.
Despite the public tension, the status of Swayman’s contract remains unresolved. However, Sweeney expressed optimism that a deal will be reached before the Dec. 1 deadline.
“We intend to keep negotiating,” Sweeney said during the press conference. “I’m disappointed we haven’t gotten it done yet, but I’m hopeful we’ll find common ground before [Dec. 1].”
According to ESPN, the Dec. 1 deadline is significant. If Swayman does not sign by then, he would be ineligible to play for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and would have to wait until the next season to return to the ice.
Swayman is coming off a strong 2023-24 campaign, where he posted a 25-10-8 record, marking the highest win total of his four-year career.
The Bruins already made a significant change in their goaltending lineup this summer, trading Linus Ullmark to the Ottawa Senators in June. In exchange, Boston acquired goaltender Jonas Korpisalo, center Mark Kastelic, and a 2024 first-round pick, which was used to select center Dean Letourneau.
Leave a Reply