Should Jeremy Swayman be taking all the Blame?
Jeremy Swayman is getting dragged through the mud by some fans of the Boston Bruins.
I wanted to see if Jeremy Swayman should shoulder all the blame for the situation with his contract or lack thereof with the Boston Bruins.
Should Don Sweeny shoulder some of this blame, and could he have prevented all of this from happening in the first place?
I break down the latest info from 32 Thoughts the Podcast and explain why I think Don Sweeny and Co put themselves in this situation.
Source
32 Thoughts the Podcast – https://www.sportsnet.ca/podcasts/32-thoughts/
23 Comments
Should Sweeney be responsible for the contract issues with Swayman?
Sweeney absolutely needs to take some blame for this problem. I agree that they should have signed to the 2 year extension last year.
IMHO there are 2 major factors and several little ones. The 2 major ones are Swayman's agent, he is notorious for asking for high value contracts. The other is Swayman hasn't proven himself as a #1 starter, the little ones are, Sweeny,cap space and term. I am not at this point wanting a bridge deal. I would like to see (as much as we hate them) a backend loaded contract for him. If Swayman's talent is what many believe it is I do not think it will hurt us. It is a gamble worth taking.
I blame the agent, he did this to the Leafs and they caved.
We don't know all of the circumstances. All we can do is speculate. We don't know what's hanging up the deal. Everyone assumes it's AAV. It could be term. It could be how the contract is structured. It could be perks like no moves etc etc. Without knowing that it's hard really to point a finger. It seems like the Bruins have kept this 8.6m in space specifically for Swayman. The deal still isn't done so I think most of us are assuming it's AAV holding it up. But we don't know that. And of course if 8.6 isn't enough there is blame to go around. Management should have known that the number was that high before making other moves. And Swayman would be asking for an unjustified amount of money.
As far as managements part in all of this. You shouldn't have moved Ullmark until a deal was done. It would have given you option and considering the return you got for Ullmark I for one don't think that was worth the stress it created. Ullmark seemed pretty happy here. I think he'd have signed longterm either at his current AAV or at a very modest raise. 1m more a season or something similar. If Swayman was unable to come to terms and you have Ullmark under contract you can trade Swayman and no doubt get a much better return. Look at the return Askarov got for a guy with virtually no nhl time. At this point the entire situation sucks.
All of it? Definitely not. Most of it? I’d say so lol. He has leverage, but at a certain point, he is just being selfish and entitled. Fans are tired
People can make all the complaints in the world about trading Ullmark before swayman was signed, but I just think this is misplaced frustration and sort of a disingenuous argument since holding onto ullmark indefinitely technically wouldn’t guarantee anything….and Lewis Gross could still have been perfectly content to hold out as long as possible, which would just screw them even more than they already are now. At least they got Dean Letourneau out of it and fans surely would’ve lost their mind either way, so it was a lose-lose situation for Sweeney and I understand why he had to move Ullmark before the draft. I’m actually kind of tired of hearing fans hammer this lazy talking point. I think the hold up here is on Swayman and he’s just being egregiously difficult along with his agent who has a history of doing exactly what is happening here. People need to realize it took for Nylander himself to call the Maple leafs personally 40 minutes before the deadline for a deal to be reached. Lewis Gross is a very greedy and ruthless individual who stands to make millions off the stalemate. I think Sweeney knew this was coming all along and he did his due diligence by at least getting SOMETHING for Ullmark. So I do blame him because if push comes to shove and the Bruins offer him the 8×8 and he wants one CENT more than that…. he’s just entitled. Quite frankly as the dust settles, I don’t see the contract Boston allegedly offered as that unreasonable. If Sway wants 10 and the Bruins want 7, then I’m not sure what else people expect. All I know is I blame Swaymans camp a lot more than I blame Sweeney in this scenario for whatever it’s worth. To me, it seems like Swayman’s agent has been willing to turn this into a war, and the Bruins just don’t want to bend over and play ball. I think that’s what’s been going on the whole time. Swayman has lost a lot of support from the fans and now has the pressure of the world on his shoulders to deliver championship in short order if he’s gonna hold the team hostage for this much money. That’s the way the cookie crumbles when you get paid that much to play a sport on TV. So I hope this was worth it for him
clearly sweeney put himself in this position.
Last year he could have gave swayman what he wanted but didnt and swayman went the route of arbitration. If sweeney would have gave him the deal he wanted then boston probalbly could still have swayman and ullmark. Instead sweeney who was strapped for cash cause of other contracts screwed himself.
Everyone is hating on Swayman for not taking "a hometown discount", why should he after sweeney wouldnt give him a good deal last season.
Rask has the best number of his career and they didnt give him a good contract, then the next two years he was thomas's back up. Then he came back and played amazing, but all bruins fans remember is the contract BS and the two goals in 17 seconds.
Swayman and his agent seem to believe he's pushing the envelope for all NHL goalies, problem is he's not worth the money he's asking for and everyone knows it, trade him to Utah for a pick and a prospect and see what his stats look like after the season.
Sweeney's doing the right thing, he's worth 6.5M so trade or let him sit.
Zadorov Mcavoy Carlo Lindholm. Peek and Lorie are your bottom pairing. I dont care who our goalie is. Not worried. Bussi Korpi. Will look like greats too.
This guy wants us capped to the roof. Let him sit/walk. His value should tank and or he can get over paid in another market. Chow.
Business is business. Both sides have right to negotiate however they choose and we don't know all the cogs in the wheel.
I hope he returns but swayman is clearly in the drivers seat. He is hot, young, and just wants a descent salary somewhere around 8. Whether it's with Boston should not be a priority for him. Again it is a business and no one knows that better than the bruins org.
All part of the fun!
Go Bruins!
if what's being reported is true, Blame goes both ways. It takes two to come to an agreement. Everything I've heard, I think Sweeney left a decent amount to sing Jeremy.. but Jeremy is asking top 3 money for a resume that is not that high. No, Swayman need to reach UFA status to get those big lofty 10M numbers. I can see between 6 and 8… but above there is just an RFA trying to be greedy. the bruins best move… let him sit an watch. a $10M contract won't do you any good if you sit out a year… because the difference between that ~7 and 10 will be lost with the holdout.
No. Disagree.
Sweeny does not deserve the blame. Swayman needs to prove that he's capable to do a full season as 1. goalie.
Him asking big money before proving that, is greedy – especially considering the usual path for goalie contracts.
And him trying to saint himself by saying, that he's just looking out for future goalie contracts is just bullshit.
I don't mind Sweeny sitting him for the season and putting energy into Korpi and Bussi. Use the remaining cap space to get some good signings on RW and some other areas that could need help. Goalie out strategy of building a team is great, but you don't win games if you don't score.
At this point I agree with a lot your comments and I do not think all the blame should be on Swayman, but the fact that Sweeney made Frederic go to arbitration and now Trent and the boys don't even know who their goalie is is the most troubling thing. Let's take this into the big picture- did Swayman mention McAvoy and say he had to be paid as much as him? If so Charlie I am sure is not happy. The entire team are who I feel bad for including Sway. Let us play hockey and at least know who our starter is! Yeah I'm a hockey fan, but one who thinks the players should make the decisions and get their wish- on every team.
Dude, I normally agree with you, but I don’t understand why anyone would think I’m not supposed to use a players contract to judge their performance more harshly. In a world where people work 60 hours a week and can barely afford food. The only reason these guys make millions is because of us watching their games buying their jerseys and tickets so why shouldn’t we hold them more accountable? I think that’s a major elephant in the room in terms of the vitriol and the response to the holdout
I think at the end of the day I agree with almost everything you’re saying, but it’s just so complicated at the end of the day nobody really knows but I think if they give him 8 and a day that should be fine for everybody. If he seriously is still pushing for more than that, then they have a major issue
Ullmark Should have never been traded until swayman was signed. Should of held onto him. He's a better goalie anyway. Swayman is greedy asking for ten only Bob an vaseleski. Get 10+ an they raised cups. Swayman hasn't been even a true 1a goalie. Why should someone who hasn't carried the load be third highest paid goalie. Sweeney is just as much at blame. Swayman had good Toronto series but bruins own Toronto. So did he really have a good playoff . Because Florida 4+ goals a game. So to me he's not proven. 1 yr show me deal , 6.5 mill. I agree with felger
I've heard so many fans say why didn't they keep Ullmark until they signed swayman the problem is is the Bruins traded old mark before July 1st because at that point it would be to change his no trade list and his list did not have Ottawa after the first he may have been able to change his list to include Ottawa and they were the only team trying to get him that's what I heard from Haggs
I would have saved this video until training camp starts. Were talking about blaming parties for a situation that hasn't come to fruition yet. There's still some run way yet.
Good history lesson with Rask, though, Court. People should remember that situation when saying Swayman needs to prove himself.
He should get 7 mil for 4 yrs. That's double his salary
Looking back, maybe it was a better idea to lock up Sway before getting rid of Ullmark. I don't blame Sway for wanting more money than what's being offered. He's one of the best goalies in the league, and the Bruins are trying to lowball him. What was it, 6.2m x 4. He's an 8 million a year goalie, and that's just the start of the negotiation. You could actually make the case that he's worth closer to 10 million. His agent is looking around and is seeing goalies with numbers that aren't as good as Swayman's, and they're making big bucks. Teams do this sh!@ all the time they go out and spend spend in free agency when they have players who need contracts. Swayman is probably the most important player on the team. Then again, who knows, the team always seems to be able to get the best from goalies. Maybe when Korpisalo starts the season out with a .925 save $ through 10 games the Swayman camp folds and signs for less money.
Hellno.Sweeney&Neely are to blame..
Same old bull shit….