NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – August 29, 2024

by | Aug 29, 2024 | News, NHL | 37 comments

Jeremy Swayman talks about his contract negotiations with the Bruins, Rutger McGroarty doesn’t reveal much about why he didn’t want to play for the Jets, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

THE SCORE: Jeremy Swayman said he decided to be better prepared for this summer’s contract negotiations with the Boston Bruins after going through arbitration last summer.

During an appearance on the “Shut Up Marc Podcast”, the 25-year-old Swayman called last year’s arbitration experience “scary”.

It’s a lot of resentment toward people that want you to succeed, and when you’re not being compensated for your endless efforts and doing what you do best, it’s a nerve-wracking feeling. Because it’s your family you’re fighting for.”

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).

Swayman said he’s educated himself and better understands the business side of things.

I understand the comparables, and how I can’t ruin the goalie market for other guys that are going to be in my shoes down the line.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Arbitration can be a bruising process for a player’s ego. The people who employ you, praise you, and give you a larger role on the team are standing before an arbitrator belittling your accomplishments.

Swayman learned the lesson and is better educated and prepared this time around. He holds the hammer this time, sitting in a better negotiating position now that he’s the Bruins’ starting goaltender. 

In contract negotiations, remember the line from the movie The Godfather: It’s not personal, it’s strictly business. 

NBC SPORTS BOSTON: Nick Goss suggests a fair annual salary range for Swayman on a long-term contract is between $6.75 million and $8.5 million.

Goss pointed out there are five goaltenders (Montreal’s Carey Price, Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, and the New York Islanders’ Ilya Sorokin) with average annual values over $6.4 million.

All but Sorokin have won the Vezina Trophy. Bobrovsky and Vasilevskiy are Stanley Cup champions while Price backstopped the Canadiens to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Swayman’s performance over the past two seasons is worthy of a significant raise over the $3.75 million he received last year via arbitration. Over the last two seasons, he’s taken over as the Bruins’ starter, sits among the league leaders in save percentage, and was co-winner of the Jennings Trophy with former teammate Linus Ullmark.

There’s a rumor that the Swayman camp seeks $10 million annually. A more realistic number is around $8.5 million.

I’ll have more about Swayman in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

WINNIPEG SUN/PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: Rutger McGroarty didn’t say much about why he didn’t want to play for the Jets in his first press conference since getting traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last week.

I wanted to be upfront and honest with them, and I just told them that I wasn’t going to be signing with them,” McGroarty told reporters. He praised the Jets for how well they handled the situation, saying he had “nothing but respect” for them.

McGroarty said he’s fired up and looking forward to the Penguins’ training camp next month. Despite signing an entry-level contract with his new team following the trade, he understands there is no guarantee he’ll land a roster spot this season.

I’ve been promised a spot in the rookie tournament, and that’s about it,” said McGroarty. “I feel like I’ll get what I deserve. I’m going to come ready to work for camp. I like where my game is right now.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Whatever McGroarty’s reasons for not wanting to play for the Jets, he has a better chance of earning a roster spot with a retooling Pittsburgh club than he would’ve had on a deeper Winnipeg roster.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO: Blackhawks goaltender Laurent Brossoit underwent successful meniscus surgery on his right knee on Tuesday. He’ll be sidelined for five to seven weeks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Brossoit was signed this summer as the backup for Blackhawks’ starter Petr Mrazek. They’re expected to use Arvid Soderblom to fill the gap until Brossoit is cleared to return.

RG.ORG: Former San Jose Sharks forward Alexander Barabanov didn’t enjoy the rebuilding club’s style of play last season.

The team played primitive hockey,” said Barabanov. “You run around without the puck and don’t understand why you need all this. We didn’t even try to keep the puck, play for your partner. It was the most simple hockey that kills the player in you.”

The Sharks finished last in the overall standings. However, Barabanov acknowledged it helped them get top prospect Macklin Celebrini in this year’s draft.

Barabanov has no hard feelings toward his former club. I hope that the team will finish the rebuild. They have many good young players with great futures.”

He also said he had contract offers from several NHL clubs. However, they weren’t as enticing as the one he signed with KHL club Ak Bars Kazan.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings have invited winger Austin Watson to training camp on a professional tryout offer.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The St. Louis Blues have started up their own contract tracker called “BluesFriendly”. It’s a nod to CapFriendly, which was shut down in July after its owners were hired by the Washington Capitals.

The tracker appears on the Blues’ official NHL site. It contains the annual cap hit, contract term, expiry status and acquisition info for each player on their roster and/or players on one-way contracts.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The site doesn’t indicate how much cap space the Blues have, which players have no-trade/no-movement clauses, those who are waiver-exempt or on injury reserve. The contract info only goes to 2028-29 but several players have deals extending beyond that season.

Still, it’s the first time an NHL club has made basic salary info available on its official site. The other 31 clubs could follow suit if this proves popular with Blues fans.







37 Comments

  1. Re: “Arbitration can be a bruising process for a player’s ego. The people who employ you, praise you, and give you a larger role on the team are standing before an arbitrator belittling your accomplishments.”

    Which is perhaps why some of the more confrontational, direct personalities approach their next round of negotiations with a middle-finger extended – especially if they have excelled.

    And I am NOT suggesting that that is Swayman’s approach … but I’d best my last nickel it has – and will be – the approach of more than a few.

    • Reading between the lines, it does seem that Swayman took the arbitration process too personally and is now trying to make the Bruins pay (literally) for what occurred the last time.
      I wonder if the Bruins are having remorse for trading a goalie before the other was signed.

  2. can’t screw up the goalie market for the guys behind me sounds like he is listening to agents, and greedy ones at that, its your family you are fighting for is likely a quote from them… ya made 3.2mil annually on last deal if yiur family needs fighting for after you made more than all of them combined then you have larger issues.
    sadly that approach is what kills teams from being able to win championships and create dynasties. hockey is a team sport selfless over selfish. the league is full of teams with players on bad contracts. you don’t owe the next goalies anything but you do owe your teammates a chance to win and your fans far more… their help dollars pay your exhorbitant salaries.
    climbing down off my soap box now

    • AZ I doubt if you were an integral member of your workplace, and so much success – of that organization you do not own – is on your shoulders every day you work, you wouldn’t even bother looking at your soapbox let alone stand on it praising your employer and questioning your motives for seeking the most compensation you can get.

      I just feel fans never really understand the commitment and price athletes have already paid to entertain us simpletons and have rightfully they should and deservingly get paid.

    • good job AZ hockey nut, that is what it sounded like to me who hasn’t felt like that before? but don’t give us the song/dance? he will get his money and a pretty significant raise that many people would never get

  3. Re; Boston & Swayman

    The way it looks and sounds is that Swayman did not like what was said last year at the arbitration process with Boston….👀

    I think if nothing is done bye the end of August,
    Then Swaymans camp end’s up taking a 2 year deal @ $6.M- $6.5M

    Then he is a UFA after the 2026 season and has the power to do what ever he wants over Boston, sounds like they ( -issed him off last year )
    then he is in the drivers seat and can play for what ever team he wants…

    • WW

      I doubt Sweeney will walk Swayman to ufa status in just 2 years. Maybe Swayman and Bruins settle on mid range term that works for both sides especially if Swayman is really asking for 10 per as he is not currently worth it or is any goalie in my opinion

      • MrBruin4

        Agreed, I dont think its $10M for him or any other goaltender at pressent.. however if it a long term contract, 5 to 8 years i can see it being $8 to 8.5M
        as the Cap gos up & up…❓
        if its year bye year 1X $6.M and in 2 years he is a UFA.. then he wil get paid as the caps continus to go up & up

        4 top payed Goaltender are
        * Sergei Bobrovsky,Florida Panthers $10
        **>Andrei Vasilevskiy,Tampa Bay Lightning $9.5
        >Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets $8.5.
        >Ilya Sorokin, New York Islanders, $8.25
        &
        NYR Goaltender Igor Shesterkin who is making Noise about wanting $10M in his next deal..⁉️
        * 1 cup
        ** 2 cups
        zero for the rest

  4. To set the goalie market, you at least should have a established career as a starter.

    It’s a year later and still bellyaching over hurt feelings.

    First question Swayman should ask himself is what was said about me during the arbitration process accurate or not? If it’s accurate, grow up.

    McGroarty is just an entitle person who didn’t want to play in Canada. We see this with more and more american born players.

    I find it funny when someone says he is of high moral, when his actions show otherwise.

    • How old is McG? Didn’t you do or think poorly at that age too? Players do what GMs and owners do all the time, do what’s best for them so why can’t a player do the same?

    • Totally agree on Swayman. I think the last arbitration meeting hurt his feelings, beat the naivety out of him, and made him super focused on the business side of it after he had time to digest it all.
      He is right about the goalie market, though. You shouldn’t take less and screw over potential earnings for your current and future union brothers. That goes over like lead balloon.
      The object is to keep pushing salaries up if you’re a card-carrying member in good standing with the NHLPA.
      6.5 for 7.

      I think Kevin Hayse has been in Mcgroatys ear.

      • >>>You shouldn’t take less and screw over potential earnings for your current and future union brothers.

        SOP, I don’t understand how that works in a CAP situation. Given that there’s a fixed amount of $’s available, what difference does it make if Swayman makes $5M or $8M? If it’s the former, doesn’t that make more money available for his ‘union brothers’?

        I fully agree he should get as much as he can, but don’t agree on the union angle.

        In an uncapped situation (MLB, for instance), yes, I agree with you.

      • Whalercane, by union brothers meaning all members of the NHLPA, not just the Bruins.
        For instance, some think that Leon is going to sign a team friendly deal to win in Edmonton.
        However, I think he sets bar until for superstar centers until it’s McDavids turn, and so on. You shouldn’t take less than your peers in this industry.
        If everyone takes less, no one will get more.

      • Whalercane, let’s not confuse the NHLPA with real unions.

        In the case of the latter, workers are indeed “brothers” in the sense that, through collective bargaining when negotiating for higher rates of pay, they all wind up with the same %.

        Within the NHLPA, each “worker” negotiates his own salary.

      • George – I’m more or less in agreement with you, I think.

        In a Capped world, I think what Swayman makes is generally irrelevant to the NHLPA. Or maybe it’s just that I think it should be irrelevant.

        If he makes ‘more than he should’, then BY DEFINITION the others on his team will have to make less. I don’t see how that helps his fellow NHLPA guys.

        Now, to SOPs point. Yes, I can see some validity to the “future goalies” perhaps being annoyed if Swayman is deemed to have signed an ‘underpaid’ deal. But that’s a specific goalie issue, not an NHLPA issue.

        In the end, the teams are spending $86M (or whatever) on players. I don’t see how that’s an NHLPA issue – for better or worse – how those teams divvy it up.

      • as a followup.

        In an UNCAPPED world, throw everything I said out the window…

      • I kinda get Whalercane’s point. 75% of the teams will spend right up to, or very close to the cap ceiling. The total for the team is X. So if player Y gets more, then there is less to pay player Z. Or in some cases even add or keep player Z.

        For his fellow tenders, sure. Same can be said about GM’s, the last thing they want is to have to pay quality starting tenders $10M, as the position is so volatile. So this one is pretty interesting.

        I think Leon will take less in Edmonton. He will still be the highest paid player in the NHL, he is the 2nd leading scorer in the league over the last 3 years after all. Plus he delivers in the playoffs, and played hurt to do it each of the last 2 seasons.

        I think the annual # will start with a 14, and that will be a slight discount. If he hit the open market, somebody could very well pay him $15M.

        Can’t really compare Leon and Sway IMO, Leon has already made over $70M, and will make well over $100M on this one. Different position to be in, or at least it would be for me. If the top few guys take $1M less, you can add a key player, and with the margin of victory so tight, it matters who plays in your bottom 6.

      • Whalercane and Ray – good points … but then you have Bobrovsky – pulling in $10 million per – who also didn’t really care how this affected the rest of the roster, and his team has been to the cup finals 2 years in a row, winning the last one – and Vasilevsky, almost hauling in the same amount without worrying how this might diminish the rest of the team, and whose teams have won 2 cups with him in net.

      • Not making a value judgement on whether they should or shouldn’t George, and like I said, Sway and Leon are in different spots in there lives, career and financially, so may have a different perspective. I would.

        I’m not in the know on anything, but I am suggesting that it is more likely Leon takes a discount because he has made and will make huge $, plus I think he really wants to try and win a cup with his best bud Connor. They can play together in Edmonton.

        Every player should do what they think is best for them and their families. That differs from person to person.

        Everybody wants what they feel they have earned, but after a while and your really wealthy already, winning a cup is a big flippin’ deal. Find your “happy place”.

    • Maybe nhl need to pass rule that you have to play for team who drafted you or you don’t play in nhl

      • That would change things dramatically. And I’d add “you go where your traded since all 32 teams are part and parcel of the same league.”

      • “you’re traded …” sheesh

      • Hey, Ray Bark

        Re Leon & the Oil, I think leon takes $13.M
        and next year conner takes $13.5M they both see how tje Cap Effects the team you cant just pay two guy Mega Buck’s and have nothing left for the rest…🤔

        Just like The Leafs did paying the Fab 4…and look where they got No where in 7 years..⁉️

    • Not wanting to live and play in a foreign country is not on the least a problem of low morals. Are you serious with this? Only way it could even be stretched that way is if he was adamant to the jets prior to the draft he wanted to play for them. But even that’s a stretch cause they were interviewing a 17-18 year old kid. And kids change.

  5. If Barabanov is right has the problem been addressed by replacing Quinn or is it a question of dummying down to current talent of the Sharks team ?

  6. Whalercane, By taking as much as you can and setting the standard.
    It’s a union. Undercutting is frowned upon as it screws with comparable players’ potential to earn when their turn to negotiate a deal comes about. Standards have to be set. The union wants them set as high as possible. It’s their job to look out for the best interests of the entire union body. Salaries included.
    So, you shouldn’t take deals that favor the team.
    The guy playing in and about to start negotiations in Denver doesn’t care if the guy who just signed a new deal in Chicago signed a team friendly deal because he grew up a Hawks fan. He is now assisting in setting a bogus standard.
    Teams will use those numbers in negotiations.
    Part of the NHLPA’s job is to ensure that doesn’t happen.
    The bar must continue to go up. The owners are making bank and the players and the association know it. They just want what they figure is fair.

    • Sop, obviously you’re pro union.

      what exactly has Swayman done to be setting the market for other goaltenders?

      His market is an unrpoven starting goalie.

      Yes he has nice numbers playing in a good system.

      His only responsibility is to his family and himself. He owes nothing to other union members and owes nothing to the Boston Bruins.

      His skill and results is the only thing that matters when negotiating.

      • 😳. His only responsibility is to his family and himself. He owes nothing to other union members and owes nothing to the Boston Bruins.

        I guess this means he has low morality?

      • Chrism, he never walked out and is negotiating in good faith.

        Whereas I’m to good for McGroarty says “Im not play there.”

        Swayman negotiating for a contract.

        McGroarty well he just too good for Winnipeg. Had zero reasons not to sign.

      • He’s just doing what’s best for him and his family (or future family) just like swayman. He’s never publicly stated exactly why he informed peg he wouldn’t sign. You have no idea what his reason (s) are. Yet it’s ok for bostons goalie to put himself first but not McGroarty. Doesn’t jive. I think your mostly put out that some Americans don’t want to play for Canadian teams and are throwing his character under the bus because if that. I can understand frustration with that first part. But don’t blame the kid. Ask yourself why kids don’t want to play there and ask how you fix that issue.

    • I’m really trying to see where you’re coming from SOP, but it still doesn’t make sense to me in a Capped situation.

      (situation below: Player A “should” make $13M)

      Situation A:
      Player A makes $15M
      rest of team makes $73M

      Situation B:
      Player A makes $10M
      rest of team makes $78M.

      How does Situation A help the Union? If anything, it’s BY DEFINITION costing probably multiple players to be relatively underpaid. Or, worse, costing some veterans their jobs.

      Again – I’m all for Player A getting what he can, but I’m at a loss on your union angle.

      If it’s uncapped, like MLB, then a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ and I absolutely understand you.

      Now, where I think I will meet you is the proverbial Situation C :

      Player A makes $10M. Management, seeing the cost savings of $3M off of his actual worth of $13M, decides that:
      rest of team can make $75M and MGMT can pocket the extra $3M. Now then I can see where it would really tick off the union to accept below market value.

      But as long as the team spends to the Cap, what difference is it to the union? Are you arguing that a team with 4 guys making $14M and 16 guys making $2M is better for the union than 20 guys making $4.4M? I don’t see it.

      • I didn’t say it was right, Whalercane. It’s flawed and top heavy. It’s built on performance and money.
        The agent makes enough off the superstar making 10+mil to not really worry about the guy making $750.
        As for the cap, idk it always seems to work out and every team continues to play all of their games, so yeah, it’s fairly irrelevant I suppose.

        I certainly wasn’t trying to make a profound point, and I most likely confused everyone. I’m a bit tired, it’s been a long hitch.
        Forgive my ramblings, please.

      • It’s all good, SOP, it was a good discussion. It forced me to think about a few things.

  7. Meh, the arbitration talk by Swayman is either bs or total lack of maturity.

    Everybody involved, management, agent and arbitrator know the game, boost player to the heavens and cut him down to hell.

    There is no way in hell that his agent didn’t explain it to him in detail and that he hadn’t heard about the process from other players.

    In my opinion he avoided arbitration because he has no case for the huge increase he wants and would lose.

    • That’s certainly another possibility. But without getting into his head we’ll never know for sure.

  8. I’m not pro union, Caper. At all. They have their place. I’m just telling it how it is.

    The agents push it. Gotta get the most.

    I don’t think Swayman is asking for, nor does his body of work call for a 10 or 10+ deal.

    He’ll come in at around 6.5 or 7, because that’s the standard that’s been set.

    He’ll sign by camp like everyone else, or who knows, maybe he’s vindictive and sits out?
    It’s all business.

    • Ya, SOP agree that unions have there place. Folks should google how workers got treated before there was a labor movement/unions. I dare say folks wouldn’t want that again. Heck look at the NHL before there was one. They got screwed.

      The pendulum swings too far one way, it eventually comes back. It’s all about the deal in the end.

      I also agree that he isn’t asking for $10, that seems out there. Not even sure where that came from? If he is, I would be floored if he actually got it.