Lewis Gross, Jeremy Swayman‘s agent, is coming to bat for his client.
On Monday, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely had some strong words when asked why he thought Swayman should be ready to play this season.
“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is, but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said.
While Neely doesn’t completely spell it out, logic leads to the assumption that Neely is saying the Bruins offered Swayman an eight-year deal worth $8 million per season.
According to Gross, that was the first time his side had heard that number.
“Normally, I do not release statements or discuss negotiations through the media,” Gross said in a statement on his agency’s Instagram page Monday night. “However, in this case, I feel I 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.”
For the second straight year, Swayman is a restricted free agent and, like last year, negotiations have not been easy. Complicating this summer’s talks was the team’s decision to trade away Swayman’s tandem partner, Linus Ullmark, essentially declaring Swayman their No. 1 netminder of the future.
It appears things are about to get even more complicated after Swayman’s side expressed their disappointment in Neely’s comment.
The Bruins have three more pre-season games ahead of them before kicking off the 2024-25 campaign against the defending Stanley Cup champions in Florida on Oct. 8. Both Bruins GM Don Sweeney and head coach Jim Montgomery indicated during Monday’s media availability that at this point, it’s unlikely Swayman will be ready to start the season in net even if a deal was done today. Joonas Korpisalo, who was part of the return from Ottawa when the Bruins sent Ullmark to the Senators, is currently set to start the campaign for the club.
Swayman’s agent denies Neely’s ‘$64 million’ comment
Boston Bruins' Jeremy Swayman stands on the ice after losing to the Florida Panthers in Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series, Friday, May 17, 2024, in Boston. (Michael Dwyer/AP Photo)
Lewis Gross, Jeremy Swayman‘s agent, is coming to bat for his client.
On Monday, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely had some strong words when asked why he thought Swayman should be ready to play this season.
“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is, but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said.
While Neely doesn’t completely spell it out, logic leads to the assumption that Neely is saying the Bruins offered Swayman an eight-year deal worth $8 million per season.
According to Gross, that was the first time his side had heard that number.
“Normally, I do not release statements or discuss negotiations through the media,” Gross said in a statement on his agency’s Instagram page Monday night. “However, in this case, I feel I 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.”
For the second straight year, Swayman is a restricted free agent and, like last year, negotiations have not been easy. Complicating this summer’s talks was the team’s decision to trade away Swayman’s tandem partner, Linus Ullmark, essentially declaring Swayman their No. 1 netminder of the future.
It appears things are about to get even more complicated after Swayman’s side expressed their disappointment in Neely’s comment.
The Bruins have three more pre-season games ahead of them before kicking off the 2024-25 campaign against the defending Stanley Cup champions in Florida on Oct. 8. Both Bruins GM Don Sweeney and head coach Jim Montgomery indicated during Monday’s media availability that at this point, it’s unlikely Swayman will be ready to start the season in net even if a deal was done today. Joonas Korpisalo, who was part of the return from Ottawa when the Bruins sent Ullmark to the Senators, is currently set to start the campaign for the club.
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