Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman was named an All-Star for the first time on Saturday, as he was one of four goalies voted in by fans. He will be joined in Toronto by teammate David Pastrnak and coach Jim Montgomery.
Bruins beat Blues in OT, Swayman brings up arbitration again
While this part of the All-Star selection process was literally just a popularity contest, it’s also a well-deserved honor for Swayman. After a 4-3 overtime win in St. Louis on Saturday, Swayman is now 12-3-7 on the season and ranks sixth in the NHL in save percentage (.918) and eighth in goals-against average (2.49). He is also seventh in goals saved above expected and third in 5-on-5 save percentage.
Asked Saturday night what being named an All-Star means to him, Swayman gave a pretty interesting answer.
“That’s really special,” Swayman said. “First and foremost, it couldn’t happen without the team in front of me. I mean, I’m so lucky to be on such a defensive-structured team that takes pride in the D-zone, and of course gets it done in the offensive zone. So, huge kudos to them for allowing this to happen.
“But yeah, after dealing with what I did this summer with arbitration, hearing things that a player should never hear, it feels pretty special to be in this situation. So, I’m extremely honored and I’m really excited to join Pasta and Monty.”
That second half is the interesting part. It’s no secret that Swayman hated the arbitration process this summer. He and the Bruins were $2.8 million apart in their filings and were unable to come to an agreement before a hearing. The independent arbitrator settled in the middle at $3.475 million.
Arbitration hearings are often contentious and uncomfortable, because the team basically has to argue why a player isn’t worth as much as he thinks he is, and the player is right there to hear it all.
“I definitely don't wish it upon any of my friends and teammates moving forward, and I don't want to do it ever again as well,” Swayman said back in August.
Don Sweeney and the Bruins would have preferred to avoid arbitration as well, but they almost had no choice but to play hardball given how tight their cap situation was. And in their defense, it was ultimately Swayman, not them, who actually filed for it. They also did Swayman a bit of a solid by choosing a one-year deal over a two-year deal, setting Swayman up to get a raise in 2024 instead of having to wait until 2025.
Still, by going to arbitration, they certainly risked upsetting a player they presumably want to be a big part of their future. Swayman said in August that there was “no ill will” and he understood it was a business, and he has reiterated multiple times that he wants to remain a Bruin. Clearly it's still on his mind, though, if it's one of the first things he mentions upon being named an All-Star.
It will be fascinating to see how the next round of Swayman contract negotiations go. He became eligible to sign an extension on Jan. 1, and it’s possible that at least preliminary discussions have already begun.
Swayman remains arbitration-eligible, but stringing things out that long for a second straight year would qualify as something of a worst-case scenario. The Bruins will have a lot more cap space this summer – about $25 million – than they did last summer. They should be able to use some of it to lock up Swayman on a longer-term extension, assuming that’s still what both sides want.
What the numbers ultimately look like remains to be seen. Swayman is certainly in line for a sizable raise over his current $3.475 million salary, with an All-Star selection now further helping his case. If it gets into the neighborhood of doubling that number or more, though, the Bruins might have to seriously consider trading one of their two star goalies once and for all.