NHL Rumor Mill – October 3, 2024

by | Oct 3, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – October 3, 2024

Looking at possible trade destinations for Jeremy Swayman and the latest on Kirill Kaprizov in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

DAILY FACEOFF: Mike Gould looks at some potential trade destinations for Jeremy Swayman if the Boston Bruins decide to move him.

Gould suggested the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers as clubs that need a reliable starting goaltender.

SPORTSNET: Ryan Dixon proposed the Vegas Golden Knights, Utah Hockey Club, and the Blackhawks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Trade rumors about Swayman started on Monday after Bruins president Cam Neely hinted his club had offered the goaltender a contract worth $64 million, breaking down as an average annual value of $8 million for the league maximum eight seasons.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).

That prompted an immediate response from Swayman’s agent claiming no such offer had been made. Gould’s colleague Frank Seravalli recently reported the actual offer from the Bruins was $62.4 million, or $7.8 million annually for eight seasons.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had reported that Swayman was seeking a contract comparable to teammate Charlie McAvoy (eight years, $9.5 million per season). It’s believed he’s reduced that asking price to “low 9’s, high 8’s” but the Bruins are sticking with 8×8.

It’s also been reported the Bruins remain determined to sign Swayman. There’s no indication that he’s going to ask for a trade.

Nevertheless, the Bruins will seek a big return for Swayman if they put him on the trade block. The acquiring team must also be able to afford to pay what he’s seeking on his next contract.

Looking at Gould’s and Dixon’s lists, Utah is in the best position in terms of cap space ($9.92 million) and tradeable assets thanks to their depth in draft picks and promising young talent.

The Blackhawks ($5.9 million) and Flyers ($3.17 million) also have the draft picks and prospects to make a competitive pitch. However, they would have to send some salary to Boston to make room for Swayman’s new contract.

The Red Wings also have depth in tradeable assets to tempt the Bruins but they have just over $198K in cap space after re-signing Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond to lucrative new contracts. They’d have to shed a significant amount of salary to do this deal.

Colorado has over $2 million in cap space but they also face uncertainty about the futures of forwards Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin. They won’t make major moves until they get clarity on those two.

The Golden Knights always seem to be sniffing around for a big deal to keep them among the Stanley Cup contenders. However, they lacked cap space and depleted their prospect pool in previous deals.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Dylan Loucks reports Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold isn’t concerned about his club’s ability to re-sign Kirill Kaprizov.

The 28-year-old winger’s name surfaced in recent speculation suggesting the Blackhawks would pursue him if he goes to free agency in 2026. The earliest the Wild can sign him to a contract extension is next July.

Leipold pointed out his club will get a significant increase in cap space next summer. That’s when the contract buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter dropped from a combined $14.7 million to $1.66 million over the remainder of the buyouts.

The Wild owner insists his club will re-sign Kaprizov. “I will tell you nobody will offer more money than us, or longer,” said Leipold. “So all we have to do is prove to him that we want to win.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kaprizov is the Wild’s foundation player and leading scorer. They want to build around him but are handcuffed by their expensive buyouts of Parise and Suter. They’ll likely be major players in next summer’s trade and free-agent markets once the cap hit of those buyouts drops.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2024

by | Oct 3, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 3, 2024

Recapping Wednesday’s preseason action, injury updates, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

RECAPS OF WEDNESDAY’S NHL PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: Four first-period goals powered the Nashville Predators to a 6-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. Jonathan Marchessault tallied twice for the Predators while rookie forward Felix Unger Sorum had a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes.

Nashville Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault (NHL Images).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Hurricanes raised nearly $300K from ticket revenue, donations, and a silent auction from the sellout crowd which will be used for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

The Florida Panthers nipped the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on an overtime goal by Sandis Vilmanis. Spencer Knight made 26 saves for the Panthers. Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning.

Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter scored two goals and Gabriel Vilardi collected three assists in a 5-2 win over the Calgary Flames. Niederreiter snapped a 2-2 tie with 6:38 remaining in the third period. Dustin Wolf stopped 22 shots for the Flames.

The Seattle Kraken thumped the Edmonton Oilers 6-2. Shane Wright scored twice and Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves for the Kraken. Leon Draisaitl scored and picked up an assist and Darnell Nurse logged 22:17 of ice time in his preseason debut. Nurse has been dealing with an undisclosed injury since the Stanley Cup Final in June.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kraken winger Jared McCann was a late scratch with a lower-body injury. Head coach Dan Bylsma listed him as day-to-day.

Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 victory over the Utah Hockey Club. Lukas Dostal kicked out 35 shots for the Ducks. Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Utah defenseman John Marino will miss the club’s season opener with an upper-body injury. He’s missed all of training camp and preseason dealing with this ailment.

HEADLINES

OTTAWA SUN: Senators forwards Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle and defenseman Thomas Chabot are all okay after leaving Tuesday’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with injuries. Meanwhile, Carter Yakemchuk is making the case to start this season with the Senators. The 19-year-old defenseman is their leading scorer in this preseason with five points, including two goals.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Senators can keep Yakemchuk in their lineup for up to 10 regular-season games without using up the first year of his entry-level contract. He was chosen seventh overall in this year’s NHL draft.

SAN JOSE HOCKEY NOW: The Sharks and their fans are breathing a sigh of relief after Macklin Celebrini was listed as day-to-day after crashing hard into the boards during Tuesday’s game against Utah. The 18-year-old center was chosen first overall in this year’s draft.

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/CBS SPORTS: Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Winger Blake Lizotte is out indefinitely with a concussion after being struck by a puck during last Sunday’s preseason game against Ottawa.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: St. Louis Blues defenseman Justin Faulk looks forward to a healthy season after nursing ankle and shoulder injuries that limited him to 60 games in 2023-24.

SPORTSNET/THE PROVINCE: Vancouver Canucks forward Pius Suter is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. They also lost goaltender Jiri Patera off waivers yesterday to the Boston Bruins.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Washington Capitals could keep promising prospect Andrew Cristall on their roster for the opening games of this season. The 19-year-old had a strong training camp and performed well in preseason action.

DETROIT HOCKEY NOW: The Red Wings released forward Alex Chiasson from his professional tryout offer.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Minnesota Wild goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t play in his club’s preseason home game on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Nevertheless, he still found a way to get on the ice, pranking his teammates by disguising himself as an ice crew member and chirping the Wild bench during a TV timeout.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Admit it, folks, we’ll miss Fleury when he retires at the end of this season.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 2, 2024

by | Oct 2, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – October 2, 2024

The latest in the Jeremy Swayman contract negotiation saga, a suggestion for the Flames to pursue Igor Shesterkin this summer, and some potential waiver wire goalie options in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON JEREMY SWAYMAN’S CONTRACT SAGA

TSN: Chris Johnston believes the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman are taking a timeout for a cooling-off period following Monday’s war of words between the two sides regarding their contract negotiations.

On Monday, Bruins president Cam Neely hinted that his club had offered up a deal worth $64 million to Swayman. However, the goaltender’s agent replied no such offer had been made.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).

Johnston also noted the Bruins announced that Joonas Korpisalo will be their starting goaltender for their season opener next week. That indicates that, even if the Bruins and Swayman agree to a new contract this week, he won’t have enough practice time to prepare for the start of the season.

The deadline for signing restricted free agents is 5 pm ET on Dec. 1. Johnston believes the Bruins will start the season without Swayman and their standoff could last for some time yet.

Darren Dreger claims the Bruins remain “hopeful, optimistic and committed” to getting Swayman under contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the Bruins’ actual offer to Swayman was an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $7.8 million. That’s different from what Neely hinted at, as a $64 million contract for eight seasons carries an AAV of $8 million.

THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa believes the ball is now in Swayman’s court as to how this proceeds. He considers the 25-year-old netminder to be “thin-skinned” and sensitive to real or perceived slights. “If Swayman takes his bosses’ latest actions personally, then he’ll have to wait much longer for a resolution,” writes Shinzawa.

Swayman could also request a trade if he doesn’t see a resolution with the Bruins. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen, citing the club’s high asking price and the cost for a rival club to sign the young netminder.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s no indication that a short-term compromise is possible. Both sides agree they want a long-term deal at the league maximum of eight years, but can’t agree on the money.

The Bruins appear willing to come up from their original rumored pitch (between $6.2 million and $6.4 million) to between $7.8 million and $8 million. It’s believed the Swayman camp seeks around $9.5 million.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols suggests the Devils should look into Swayman’s availability despite their offseason acquisition of Jacob Markstrom. He pointed out the Devils attempted to acquire goalie Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators in August before he was shipped to the San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s a big difference between the two. The Bruins’ asking price and the cost of signing Swayman will be too high for the Devils, whereas the promising Askarov would’ve been a more affordable long-term addition.

SHOULD THE FLAMES PURSUE SHESTERKIN NEXT SUMMER?

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Jim Parsons suggests the Calgary Flames should look into pursuing Igor Shesterkin next July if the New York Rangers goaltender hits the open market.

Shesterkin, 28, is expected to become the NHL’s highest-paid goaltender. Parsons pointed out that the Flames will have $35 million in cap space next season, more than enough room to pitch a $13 million AAV to the Shesterkin camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Parsons acknowledged Shesterkin is likely to re-sign with the Rangers. Still, it’s worthwhile to explore what might happen if he instead ends up testing the market.

The Flames could easily afford Shesterkin but he might not fit into their long-term plans. He’ll be 29 next summer and signing him to an expensive long-term deal could create a salary-cap headache down the road.

There’s also no certainty that Shesterkin will sign with any team that offers the most money. Location will also come into play. He might not be keen to play in Canada or in the Western Conference.

THE ATHLETIC: Jesse Granger listed several goaltenders who might be available on the waiver wire before the start of the season next week. They include Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Buffalo’s James Reimer, Washington’s Hunter Shepard, Toronto’s Matt Murray, and Florida’s Chris Driedger.










CLONE ME – UPDATED 10.1.24 – Clone

by | Oct 2, 2024

CLONE ME – UPDATED 10.1.24 – Clone

The latest in the Jeremy Swayman contract negotiation saga, a suggestion for the Flames to pursue Igor Shesterkin this summer, and some potential waiver wire goalie options in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

LATEST ON JEREMY SWAYMAN’S CONTRACT SAGA

TSN: Chris Johnston believes the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman are taking a timeout for a cooling-off period following Monday’s war of words between the two sides regarding their contract negotiations.

On Monday, Bruins president Cam Neely hinted that his club had offered up a deal worth $64 million to Swayman. However, the goaltender’s agent replied no such offer had been made.

Johnston also noted the Bruins announced that Joonas Korpisalo will be their starting goaltender for their season opener next week. That indicates that, even if the Bruins and Swayman agree to a new contract this week, he won’t have enough practice time to prepare for the start of the season.

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).

The deadline for signing restricted free agents is 5 pm ET on Dec. 1. Johnston believes the Bruins will start the season without Swayman and their standoff could last for some time yet.

Darren Dreger claims the Bruins remain “hopeful, optimistic and committed” to getting Swayman under contract.

DAILY FACEOFF: Frank Seravalli reports the Bruins’ actual offer to Swayman was an eight-year deal with an average annual value of $7.8 million. That’s different from what Neely hinted at, as a $64 million contract for eight seasons carries an AAV of $8 million.

THE ATHLETIC: Fluto Shinzawa believes the ball is now in Swayman’s court as to how this proceeds. He considers the 25-year-old netminder to be “thin-skinned” and sensitive to real or perceived slights. “If Swayman takes his bosses’ latest actions personally, then he’ll have to wait much longer for a resolution,” writes Shinzawa.

Swayman could also request a trade if he doesn’t see a resolution with the Bruins. However, that doesn’t mean it’ll happen, citing the club’s high asking price and the cost for a rival club to sign the young netminder.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s no indication that a short-term compromise is possible. Both sides agree they want a long-term deal at the league maximum of eight years, but can’t agree on the money.

The Bruins appear willing to come up from their original rumored pitch (between $6.2 million and $6.4 million) to between $7.8 million and $8 million. It’s believed the Swayman camp seeks around $9.5 million.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: James Nichols suggests the Devils should look into Swayman’s availability despite their offseason acquisition of Jacob Markstrom. He pointed out the Devils attempted to acquire goalie Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators in August before he was shipped to the San Jose Sharks.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s a big difference between the two. The Bruins’ asking price and the cost of signing Swayman will be too high for the Devils, whereas the promising Askarov would’ve been a more affordable long-term addition.

SHOULD THE FLAMES PURSUE SHESTERKIN NEXT SUMMER?

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Jim Parsons suggests the Calgary Flames should look into pursuing Igor Shesterkin next July if the New York Rangers goaltender hits the open market.

Shesterkin, 28, is expected to become the NHL’s highest-paid goaltender. Parsons pointed out that the Flames will have $35 million in cap space next season, more than enough room to pitch a $13 million AAV to the Shesterkin camp.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Parsons acknowledged Shesterkin is likely to re-sign with the Rangers. Still, it’s worthwhile to explore what might happen if he instead ends up testing the market.

The Flames could easily afford Shesterkin but he might not fit into their long-term plans. He’ll be 29 next summer and signing him to an expensive long-term deal could create a salary-cap headache down the road.

There’s also no certainty that Shesterkin will sign with any team that offers the most money. Location will also come into play. He might not be keen to play in Canada or in the Western Conference.

THE ATHLETIC: Jesse Granger listed several goaltenders who might be available on the waiver wire before the start of the season next week. They include Detroit’s Alex Lyon, Buffalo’s James Reimer, Washington’s Hunter Shepard, Toronto’s Matt Murray, and Florida’s Chris Driedger.










NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 2, 2024

by | Oct 2, 2024

NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – October 2, 2024

Recapping Tuesday’s preseason action, the Canadiens get some good news on Patrik Laine’s condition. notable news from the latest Board of Governors meeting, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

RECAPS OF TUESDAY’S NHL PRESEASON GAMES

NHL.COM: The San Jose Sharks lost to the Utah Hockey Club 3-1 and lost promising center Macklin Celebrini to a lower-body injury. Celebrini, 18, crashed hard into the end boards during the second period. He played one more shift before leaving the game. Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky had no update on the youngster’s condition following the game.

San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (NHL Images)

New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin left in the first period with a lower-body injury during his club’s 5-4 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Kevin Labanc had two goals and an assist for the Devils.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said Panarin was still be evaluated following the game. It’s the second time in this preseason that a lower-body injury has sidelined the high-scoring winger.

Ottawa Senators forwards Tim Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk suffered injuries during their 5-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens. During the second period, Stutzle was on the receiving end of a late blindside hit by Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj. Tkachuk was hurt during the subsequent tussle with Xhekaj, who received a match penalty for the second straight preseason game. Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot left in the third period for precautionary reasons.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stutzle, Tkachuk, and Chabot will all be re-evaluated on Wednesday. The injury news overshadowed the return of defenseman Artem Zub and oft-injured forward Josh Norris to the Senators’ lineup for this game.

Xhekaj was fined for his actions against Toronto Maple Leafs forward Cedric Pare following his knee-on-knee hit on Canadiens winger Patrik Laine. He could be suspended for his dangerous hit on Stutzle.

Speaking of the Canadiens, they got some good news on Laine as what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury was a sprain that will sidelined him for two-to-three months. Considering the circumstances, Laine was lucky to avoid a more serious injury.

Canadiens prospect defenseman David Reinbacher also suffered a knee injury during that Leafs game. He didn’t get off as lucky, facing a five-to-six-month recovery following knee surgery.

The Boston Bruins got a tie-breaking goal from Tyler Johnson in the third period to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-1. Bruins captain Brad Marchand played over four minutes in his preseason debut before leaving the game with an illness.

Minnesota Wild winger Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and three assists as his club rolled to a 7-2 drubbing of the Chicago Blackhawks. Jared Spurgeon tallied twice and Mats Zuccarello collected three assists for the Wild. Connor Bedard scored the Blackhawks’ second goal.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Nate Danielson tallied the go-ahead goal late in the third period to lift his club to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Goaltender Ville Husso kicked out 43 shots for the Red Wings.

The Columbus Blue Jackets got two assists from Adam Fantilli to down the St. Louis Blues 3-1. Blues goalie Joel Hofer stopped 32 shots.

Zach Aston-Reese scored twice for the Vegas Golden Knights as they thumped the Colorado Avalanche 6-1.

HEADLINES

THE ATHLETIC: Pierre LeBrun provided highlights from the latest NHL Board of Governors meeting.

League commissioner Gary Bettman said he’d be happy if negotiations for an extension to the collective bargaining agreement were completed by the 2025 Stanley Cup Final. However, he said there’s been no discussion with the NHLPA regarding a timetable for those talks.

LeBrun indicated that Bettman recently said CBA talks could start as early as November, though he noted both sides still had homework to do. The commissioner also believes the relationship with the PA is “in a good place.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The current CBA expires in September 2026. There’s plenty of time to negotiate an extension and little apparent rancor between the two sides. Fingers crossed it stays that way once they start getting down to serious discussions.

Bettman also made an early projection on next season’s salary cap, suggesting it could come in at $92.5 million. This season’s cap is $88 million.

The commissioner also said the topic of expansion never came up during this meeting, saying it is not a front-burner issue.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: LeBrun believes expansion is eventually coming down the road “to Atlanta and maybe Houston.” He also didn’t rule out a return to Arizona. “But not quite yet.”

SPORTSNET: The NHL and NHLPA have agreed that the Columbus Blue Jackets will not need to reach this season’s $65 million salary cap minimum by the roster deadline of Oct. 7. This exemption comes with the expectation that the Blue Jackets will rise about the cap floor “in a reasonable time.”

The death of winger Johnny Gaudreau removed his $9.75 million annual average value through 2028-29 from their payroll. The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline reports the Jackets are expected to be under the cap minimum by $1.4 million when the season begins.

RG.ORG: Jimmy Murphy reports Anaheim Ducks head coach Greg Cronin expects more of a competitive effort from Trevor Zegras this season. The 23-year-old forward struggled through an injury-shortened 2023-24 campaign. Cronin acknowledged Zegras’ offensive skills but wants to see a better effort from him battling for pucks along the boards and in front of the net.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Zegras’ willingness to “get his nose dirty” was questioned before last season. His performance this season could determine whether he still fits within the Ducks’ long-range plans.

CBS SPORTS: Speaking of the Ducks, winger Troy Terry missed practice yesterday with a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.

THE SCORE: Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella didn’t mince words when asked about the state of his goaltending. “It scares the crap out of me,” said the outspoken Flyers bench boss.

Tortorella praised Samuel Ersson but pointed out that this is his first full season as their starter. Backup Ivan Fedotov is also beginning his first full NHL season. There’s also uncertainty as to where Aleksei Kolosov fits into the equation.










NHL Rumor Mill – October 1, 2024

by | Oct 1, 2024

NHL Rumor Mill – October 1, 2024

The latest on the Bruins’ negotiations with Jeremy Swayman plus an update on the Leafs in today’s NHL Rumor Mill.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: We are experiencing technical difficulties today that are affecting the layout of today’s updates. We hope to have this rectified soon. Your patience is appreciated. 

LATEST ON SWAYMAN

TSN: Boston Bruins president Cam Neely seemed to let the cat out of the bag regarding the club’s contract offer to Jeremy Swayman.

“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely told reporters on Monday.

His remarks suggest the Bruins have offered Swayman an average annual value of $8 million at the league’s maximum term of eight years.

BOSTON HOCKEY NOW: Andrew Fantucchio reports that Swayman’s agent, Lewis Gross, took to social media Monday refuting Neely’s claim that the Bruins offered them a deal worth $64 million. 

Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (NHL Images).

“I feel the need to defend my client,” wrote Gross. “This was the first time ($64 million) was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made approaching that level.”

Gross concluded by saying his camp was “extremely disappointed” and it was unfair to Swayman. “We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.” 

RG.ORG: Jimmy Murphy cites NHL sources suggesting Bruins ownership could be unhappy over Swayman’s comments in August regarding his contract negotiations. During an interview with Marc Lewis of Savage Sports, Swayman described his unhappiness over the arbitration process for his last contract, adding he’s since educated himself on the business side of the game and doesn’t want to adversely affect the market value of comparable goaltenders. 

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman examined where things could go in the Swayman negotiations from here. 

Friedman believes the goalie’s camp is calling a timeout as they carefully evaluate the situation. That could include a trade as speculation “ran rampant” following Neely’s remarks. He also thinks the Bruins have publicly indicated how far they’re willing to go with their negotiations, putting the pressure firmly on Swayman. 

Both sides are in agreement on a league-maximum eight-year contract but remain far apart on the money. Friedman thinks the Bruins may have offered between $60 million and $62 million. He also mentioned hearing trade rumors a couple of weeks ago but the Bruins were intent on signing Swayman but he wonders if things may have changed. 

THE ATHLETIC: Despite the contract standoff between Swayman and the Boston Bruins, Fluto Shinzawa reports the Bruins aren’t ready to trade the 25-year-old goaltender. 

Shinzawa points out that the Bruins need Swayman. The 25-year-old is poised to be their starting goalie for the next several seasons. He also noted that the Bruins would set a very high asking price while the acquiring team must sign him to a new contract.

It’s believed Swayman seeks an average annual value of $9.5 million.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Shinzawa’s report was published before Neely’s comments and Gross’ reply.

The Bruins have until the Dec. 1 deadline for signing restricted free agents to get Swayman under contract. The sooner they can accomplish that, the better it’ll be for the team and the netminder, who has already missed most of training camp and preseason play with the Bruins’ Oct. 9 season opener fast approaching.

It’s still premature to suggest trading Swayman. Nevertheless, the longer this standoff continues, the more speculation will be raised about his future in Boston. Neely’s comments and Gross’ reply suggest the crossroads has been reached. We’ll learn soon enough which direction they take. 

HOW WILL THE MAPLE LEAFS SHED SALARY?

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Evan Doerfler cited TSN’s Darren Dreger last week suggesting Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf as cost-cutting candidates for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs are above the $88 million salary cap for the upcoming season. They must be cap-compliant before the start of the regular season.

Jarnkrok, 33, has an injury history and has already missed preseason play with a lower-body injury, raising concerns about his availability this season. He’s signed through 2025-26 with an AAV of $2.1 million and has a 10-team no-trade list.

Kampf, 29, has earned praise for his defensive work on the Leafs’ fourth line. Those skills might give him value in the trade market but his $2.4 million AAV through 2026-27 could be a sticking point for some teams. Like Jarnkrok, he has a 10-team no-trade list.

TORONTO SUN: Terry Koshan also mentioned Jarnkrok and Kampf as cost-cutting trade candidates. He suggested defenseman Conor Timmins and his $1.1 million cap hit could also be a trade option.

Nick Robertson requested a trade during the offseason but Koshan doesn’t expect he’ll be traded. The 23-year-old winger played well in training camp after signing a one-year deal with the Leafs.

THE ATHLETIC: James Mirtle speculates the Leafs could get some early-season cap relief by placing Jani Hakanpaa and Connor Dewar on long-term injury reserve. He also suggested Timmins could end up on waivers and Marshall Rifai be used as their seventh defenseman.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Puckpedia has the Leafs sitting above the cap by $1.069 million. They must be cap-compliant but must also find room to sign forwards Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz.

It’ll be interesting to see how they address this issue.