Some thoughts on a wild day in Bruin Town, where Cam Neely spilled negotiation tea and Jeremy Swayman’s agent basically called the organization deceitful:
The next move is the goalie’s. When Lewis Gross states he and his client “will take a few days to discuss where we go from here,” they are calling timeout. They are making sure to avoid rash decisions they will regret.
The moment Neely said, “I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” speculation ran rampant that Swayman would formally ask for a trade. The statement reveals one obvious truth — he is considering it.
Never make life-changing decisions when you’re emotional. How does he feel over the next 24-48 hours? That determines where we go.
Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, president Neely, general manager Don Sweeney and coach Jim Montgomery were well-prepared for Monday’s media session. They pressured Swayman, made it very clear they’d been pushed as far as they were willing to go, determined to prove they are not being unreasonable.
Montgomery named Joonas Korpisalo the opening night starter, Sweeney mentioned other negotiations proceeding with less fanfare. But the absolute shocker was Neely. After a punishing contract stalemate, you’ll get comments about the process — especially if the player leaves or is traded. During discussions, there can be off-the-record conversations about the various positions. Generally, though, the particulars are very careful. There are a lot of people — both executives and agents — who won’t discuss specifics, even privately. They consider it a breach of trust.
Specific on-the-record details? While things remain unsolved? Happens as often as Brad Marchand is in Lady Byng contention.
SO WHERE ARE WE?
Until Monday, this is where I believe everything stood:
• Neely said he directly asked Swayman if the goalie wished to be a Bruin, and the answer was a resounding yes. I’m under the impression Swayman has always pushed for maximum term. After initially offering contracts of various lengths, the Bruins were satisfied with Swayman’s response and focused on eight years.
• Despite that, the two sides remain so far apart on salary that this won’t be solved unless player or team completely caves in or changes their minds. I’ve heard some softening of positions, but the gap was millions per season to start with.
• Gross’s statement claims that, prior to the media conference, the Bruins never got to $64M. I think they were close, maybe around $60M-$62M. Swayman/Gross probably aren’t as annoyed about the number itself as they are about it being mentioned in the first place. I read what Neely said as this: “We’re going to 64 and no farther. That’s it.” We will see. David Pastrnak pushed the Bruins farther than they wanted to go, but he was unrestricted. Swayman saw that success, but he is restricted.
• Two weeks ago, I started to hear rumours of a possible trade. The Bruins wouldn’t comment, but it was clear they told teams they weren’t considering it and wanted to keep him. Again, we will see if anything has changed. Remember, other teams are allowed to speak to Swayman because he’s an unsigned free agent. They know what he wants.
THE AL MACINNIS QUESTION
During the Blues’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, someone there (honestly, I can’t remember who) said the Hall-of-Fame defenceman — a key part of the brain trust — would always ask, “How is this going to go over in the room?”
A few years ago, a player — who said I could tell this story as long as I didn’t use his name — was unsigned. He told me that his teammates were supportive until right before the regular-season began. It was a good team with championship aspirations, and the phone calls switched from, “We’re with you,” to “Come on, get in here, we need you.”
Eventually, he signed and, while relationships mended, he admitted to being disappointed and never completely forgot. I hate hearing these stories, but understand how they occur. October means it’s time to get real. The Bruins are excited about their team — they like their offseason acquisitions — and are a competitive group with high standards. They know they’re better with Swayman signed.
I don’t profess to know how the players feel, but as we get closer to opening night, it can become a big piece of this puzzle.
HELP, I’M A BRUINS FAN, GIVE ME SOME HOPE
I can speak from some experience.
I had one extremely bad contract negotiation that compares with this. Two people pulled it back from the abyss, but I had real hard feelings. When the chasms were bridged enough for me to agree, I said to myself, “If you can’t put things behind you, you have no business saying yes. You’re going to be miserable and an awful teammate.”
So, I let it go and, in retrospect, it turned out to be the right decision. I didn’t regret it. (Although I remain an awful teammate.)
We know Swayman wants to be a Bruin, albeit on his terms, and we’re not anywhere close to that. For the moment, however, money is secondary. During this pause, he must ask himself, “Can I move past the bitterness of this negotiation?”
If the answer is yes, he can be a Bruin. An excellent one. If the answer is no, he will flourish somewhere else.
