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Jeremy Swayman Kept List of Bruins Criticisms - And Proved Them Wrong

Jeremy Swayman kept notes from his 2023 arbitration hearing with the Boston Bruins and made sure to check them off.

Nick Horwat

Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN;Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak (88) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrate a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN;Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak (88) and goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrate a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in game three of the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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The drama has continued to build between the Boston Bruins and their unsigned restricted free agent goalie Jeremy Swayman. With the start of the regular season right around the corner, the Bruins and Swayman are yet to agree on a new contract, and things are starting to get personal.

Part of the reason this process has gone on for so long is that Swayman refused to go through another round of salary arbitration. He didn’t like the process last offseason, and he felt wronged by the Bruins during the negotiations.

Swayman opened up about the arbitration hearing in the upcoming Amazon docuseries “Faceoff: Inside the NHL.”

“Hearing you’re not worthy of what you think you’re worthy of, that was hard to hear,” Swayman said. “You don’t forget what was said.”

Swayman took note of what was said about him in those hearings and looked to improve on what held him from signing a big contract in 2023.

“I wrote them down and looked at them the other day,” Swayman said. “I had a couple of checkmarks. My biggest knock was how I wasn’t trustworthy in playoffs. Check.”

Up until the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Swayman hadn’t been given his time to shine in the postseason. Always playing behind Linus Ullmark, the Bruins never gave Swayman a fair shake.

He played five games in 2022 against the Carolina Hurricanes, and even picked up a 3-2 record. The damage had already been done, however, as the Hurricanes won the series in seven games.

In 2023, the Bruins entered the postseason after a record-setting 65-win season. They went with Ullmark for most of the first round, not giving Swayman a start until Game 7. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime.

Finally, in 2024, the Bruins gave the keys to Swayman in the postseason. The Bruins cleared the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games. Swayman won all four games and posted a .950 save percentage. The Bruins ended up losing the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers in round two, but Swayman was still stellar. In six games against the Panthers, Swayman held a .917 save percentage.

In 20 career playoff games, Swayman is 9-10 with a .922 save percentage and 2.38 goals against average. He feels he’s proven his worth not only in the regular season, but when the games matter the most.

Swayman thinks highly of himself and is demanding to be paid as such. The Bruins don’t have the same belief, despite committing to him and trading away Ullmark during the offseason.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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