BRIGHTON, Mass. — On July 30, Jeremy Swayman was in a hotel ballroom in Toronto. Swayman, agent Lewis Gross and NHLPA representatives, along with members of Boston Bruins management, had gathered for the goalie’s arbitration hearing.
They presented their respective cases for how much Swayman, a restricted free agent, deserved to earn. Only statistics mattered — those of Swayman and the peers the Bruins had identified.
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From Swayman’s perspective, the numbers did not align.
“It’s all based on statistics,” Swayman said. “The comparables are different from what you want to hear. Some of the things they pull up aren’t necessarily true, for that matter.”
Swayman had read the briefs in the days before the hearing. They didn’t make him feel good. His employer was comparing him to goalies whom he did not consider among the same tier.
“Of course I’m going to be upset in situations. I’m a human being,” said Swayman. “And I’m OK with that. That’s something I’ve worked on since college. It’s having these emotions, recognizing them and using them to an advantage. Not going complete red brain.”
As awkward as the hearing was, Swayman saw no other path but to make a stand for what he believed was right. He has always been this way.
‘It’s uncomfortable’
Nobody likes arbitration. Players do not enjoy seeing themselves compared to lesser peers. Teams are wary of upsetting their players and depending on an arbitrator to issue awards. The hearing itself can be intimidating and even confusing.
“I thought it was in a courtroom,” Trent Frederic, who came to an agreement before his hearing, said with a smile.
Don Sweeney knows this as well as anyone. The former defenseman went through arbitration himself.
“I’ve gone to the doorstep as a player,” the general manager said. “Knowing the process from both sides, it’s uncomfortable, to be perfectly honest with you. It’s uncomfortable and you hope to avoid it.”
Yet this past offseason, 22 players and one team (the Ottawa Senators with Alex DeBrincat) selected arbitration as the mechanism for which to solve their contractual disagreements. Only three (Swayman, Ilya Samsonov, Philipp Kurashev) proceeded to hearings.
In Swayman’s case, the goalie’s accomplishments pointed to a healthy raise: a .920 career save percentage over 88 career NHL starts, 54 wins, a .945 save percentage as a rookie. According to Sportsnet, Swayman’s side argued for a $4.8 million annual award. It would have put him above Spencer Knight ($4.5 million average annual value), Jake Oettinger ($4 million) and Carter Hart ($3.979 million), per CapFriendly.
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The Bruins countered with a $2 million award. Goalies in that neighborhood include ex-Bruin Dan Vladar ($2.2 million) and Pyotr Kochetkov ($2 million).
As much as Sweeney wanted to avoid arbitration, it was looking like the most efficient path toward resolution. Neither he nor Gross could land on a compromise during negotiations, not with the cap-strapped Bruins counting every penny.
Meanwhile, Swayman and his representatives — Gross, Mark Toof, Jamie Bozzo — concluded that arbitration, despite its prickliness, would be the best route for the goalie’s fairest compensation. With Roland Lee, senior director, salary cap and marketplace/senior counsel, leading the NHLPA’s team along with outside salary arbitration counsel Bernie Neuner and Rex Gary, Swayman’s side compiled the information that would be used in the hearing. Swayman was impressed.
“Every single player that files for arbitration, they make a brief on, even if they don’t go to the case,” said Swayman. “Seeing that firsthand, the amount of paperwork and all the law students that were there helping out, it was unbelievable. So I have the utmost respect for the NHLPA and the representation we had throughout the whole process.”
It still stung Swayman, though, to read and hear his employer’s arguments for paying him less than what he believed he deserved. It took him back in time to previous slights.
As a 16-year-old, the Anchorage native was cut by the Kenai River Brown Bears of the North American Hockey League. When he was 17 years old, the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede pitched Swayman on being their No. 3 goalie. The University of Alaska-Anchorage was not interested in giving Swayman, a former Seawolves stick boy, a spot on its roster.
Swayman proved them all wrong. He loves doing so.
“I know this is total fuel for the fire,” Swayman said of arbitration. “I’m going to make it a positive. Every adversity I’m faced with, I’m going to make it a positive. Because that’s just what I’ve done since I was a little kid to the here and now. I’m grateful for those opportunities to have that chip on my shoulder and be the underdog. I’ve always loved that. I always love that, man. It’s so, so fun to be in that position.
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“When I first got called up, I just came out of nowhere and stuck. That’s something I’ve kept with me to this day. Having the opportunity to represent Alaska, a smaller hockey state, is really something that I get to really take with me and make a lot of Alaskans — and now Mainers — proud. Because I keep that seriously so close to heart. It’s more than me. It’s something I really enjoy.”
On Aug. 1, Swayman received a $3.475 million award. The Bruins chose a one-year term. Swayman is scheduled to be RFA once more after 2023-24.
“Based on the fact that we couldn’t find common ground on a multi-year deal was probably the first indication that it was going to be the best path,” Sweeney said. “It puts Jeremy right back into a really good situation. Because we expect him to be a top-flight goaltender and challenged, despite having a Vezina winner riding shotgun with him. The way Jeremy is wired, he feels he’s good, if not better, and wants to be the go-to guy. So those are good problems to try and sort through and have motivated players that have confidence as well as talent.”
Swayman has never been short on self-belief.
Moving forward
On Jan. 11, 2022, Tuukka Rask was ready to play after recovering from hip surgery. That day, he signed a one-year, $1 million contract.
One day later, the Bruins assigned Swayman to Providence. He did not require waivers to be sent to the AHL. Linus Ullmark had no-move protection. Swayman was not happy.
Rask’s comeback did not go well. On Feb. 9, he announced his retirement. Swayman was back in business. That month, Swayman posted two shutouts in seven appearances and recorded a .960 save percentage. He was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month.
“How did I respond? You know what I’m saying?” Swayman asked when reminded of his AHL assignment. “That’s the stuff that I’ve really got to take advantage of, when I get faced with this adversity. Because that’s just my mental outlook. I’m so fortunate to be in the situation that I am. There’s no bad days in this league.”
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At the University of Maine, Swayman worked with sports psychologist Wally Bzdell. In Boston, he leans on Steve Durant and Max Offenberger. Throughout his life, father Ken Swayman has been his son’s counsel. Swayman credited them with helping him achieve blue-brain status, where he’s calm under duress.
Swayman and Ullmark will be in stressful situations this season. Considering all the Bruins have lost, the goalies are expected to face more action, especially at the start of the season. Swayman appears ready for the challenge.
“Every opportunity is right in front of him to grab a hold of,” said Sweeney, “and find a level of compensation and contract that will really make him happy.”
(Top photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images)
