August is typically the quietest month of the year around the NHL. The draft and the opening of free agency are in the books, and the salary arbitration period has passed — quietly, this year, as the NHL Players’ Association chose not to announce specific hearing dates for players and bargaining terms weren’t leaked by insiders as we’ve seen in the past.
According to PuckPedia, that leaves 25 restricted free agents still unsigned by their teams as of Aug. 11. The players’ NHL rights are held by the teams, so there’s no real particular urgency to get these deals done. But with just over a month to go before training camps begin, all parties are likely hoping to get pen to paper sooner rather than later.
In 2023, Swayman went through a contentious arbitration hearing with the Bruins. That led to a one-year at a cap hit of $3.475 million — and a vow never to go through the process again.
Though he was arbitation-eligible again this summer, Swayman held true to that vow in July, leaving Bruins fans hopeful that the framework for a long-term deal was in place.
Swayman is in excellent position to secure a big payday to remain in Boston. Last season, he appeared in a career-high 44 games and finished with a .916 save percentage that tied him for fifth-best among goalies with at least 25 games played. His 18.4 goals saved above expected in the regular season, per MoneyPuck, ranked him fourth in the league.
