Trade request may be coming from Bruins Jeremy Swayman per insider
Photo credit: Matt Geagan - CBS News
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has suggested that Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman and his agent are considering providing a formal trade request to the team.
On September 30, Boston Bruins president Cam Neely said something rather ambiguous, and the speculation regarding goaltender Jeremy Swayman went into overdrive. Neely gave word to reporters that the team had extended a significant contract offer to Swayman by saying, "I have 64 million reasons why I'd be playing right now." Many took that to assume that a $64 million contract had been offered to the young netminder.
Later that night, however, Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross, put that idea out cold. Gross issued a statement that no such offer was ever made while also displaying disappointment with the handling of the situation. "We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here," he said, suggesting the player's camp had been blindsided by Neely's comments.
This public discussion only adds fuel to the fire, as insiders such as Elliotte Friedman insinuate that Swayman may be considering a potential request for a trade. It seems like the situation between the player and the Bruins continued to deteriorate after these comments went public. Still, there's some belief that both sides could take a step back and reassess, allowing the air to cool before things get out of hand.
Of course, if he were to demand a trade, it would leave the Bruins in a bit of a bad spot as they traded their other star goaltender, Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators during the offseason. They'd be without Swayman's presence in the net, and on top of that, the Bruins, who are finding their way in this post-Ullmark landscape, would find their competitive advantage that much harder to come by without both Ullmark and now possibly Swayman.
The only similar trade request situation the Bruins have encountered since Sweeney took over as general manager was Jake DeBrusk's request to be traded during the 2021-22 season. DeBrusk did end up staying on with the team and made the best of it before he signed this summer with the Vancouver Canucks. That is a lesson in the fact that these matters can be worked out. It's certainly worth wondering if the Bruins and Swayman can find common ground in their negotiations.
For now, all eyes are on Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins. It's up to both sides whether they can just bury the hatchet and do their best to work something out, or if this chasm in their relationship is going to create a big blowup for the club.
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