Jeremy Swayman trade is not on the radar for Bruins — for now
The Boston Bruins have three games of preseason runway left to sign Jeremy Swayman before the Oct. 8 regular-season opener. Whether that happens remains to be seen.
The idea of a trade, unimaginable as it might be, was discussed by Elliotte Friedman on "32 Thoughts" last week. This much, however, is clear: The Bruins are not ready to trade Swayman, even if they are at a contractual standoff.
Three reasons:
Joonas Korpisalo has looked sharp in two preseason starts. The ex-Ottawa Senator stopped 37 of 40 shots in the Bruins' 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday.
"Really good. Really good," coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Philadelphia. "He reads the play quickly. He gets across on the seam plays. He comes out at the top of the crease and gives people not much to look at. They hit him right in the stomach or they shoot high. Because with his size, he's not giving up much to see in net."
Brandon Bussi , meanwhile, has room to grow.
The 26-year-old struggled in his two preseason starts. He struggled to find pucks efficiently through traffic and was late to his spots and allowing rebounds. Not only that, he was depositing pucks in dangerous areas.
So even if Korpisalo is ready for the opener against the Florida Panthers , how long he can go in net is unknown. Bussi has yet to make an NHL appearance.
The Bruins ease into the regular season with no back-to-back games in October and a manageable travel schedule. But riding Korpisalo for most of the month may run counter to their preferences.
Swayman's postseason charge against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers signals he is ready to become an elite NHL goalie. Korpisalo described Swayman as the "whole package." It's a perfect description. Swayman has everything: hockey sense, competitiveness, technique, size, athleticism. At 25, Swayman should be the Bruins' goaltending solution for the next eight seasons.
And perhaps beyond.
The Bruins acquired a 2024 first-round pick, Korpisalo and Mark Kastelic for Linus Ullmark . The 2023 Vezina Trophy winner was 30 years old at the time of the trade. He has one year left on his contract.
The Bruins would want far more for Swayman, even though he is unsigned. He is six years younger than his former partner and under team control for another two seasons. Swayman's best years are to come.
Not many goalies of Swayman's pedigree are traded. Perhaps the closest comparable would be when the Vancouver Canucks traded then-27 Cory Schneider to the New Jersey Devils in June 2013. The Marblehead native had been Roberto Luongo's understudy for three seasons.
The price: the No. 9 pick in the 2013 draft. The Canucks selected Bo Horvat , their future captain.
Even that would not be enough for the Bruins. They'd need an NHL goalie as part of the return.
You could make the case the Utah Hockey Club would raise a hand for Swayman. He is better than Karel Vejmelka and Connor Ingram .
But Utah, according to CapWages , has just over $9 million in cap space. According to Sportsnet, Swayman wants to be paid the same as Charlie McAvoy , who earns $9.5 million annually.
If Swayman has gone this long without signing a deal with the Bruins, it's unlikely he'd come off his ask once he's traded. He is not designed to compromise, even with another club. An acquiring team like Utah would have to meet Swayman's price, which might require Utah to move salary.
In that way, Utah would be paying twice: first in the trade market, then on the dotted line.
Bottom line
Swayman wants to be a Bruin. The feeling is mutual. Negotiations, then, will continue, as difficult as the process has been so far.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / )
