Swayman highlights the arbitration process in 2023 in new NHL documentaries

Swayman explores the arbitration process in 2023 in new NHL docuseries, which originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

It’s no secret that Jeremy Swayman didn’t enjoy arbitration in the summer of 2023. He made that very clear.

It’s not a fun experience for the player or the team. Both sides must explain why their salary number is the right one. Ultimately, Swayman received a salary of $3.475 million for the 2023-24 season. It was a one-year deal, meaning he would once again become a restricted free agent this past offseason.

And where is Swayman now? He is the only RFA in the NHL not yet under contract, and the Bruins begin their regular season next Tuesday, October 8th on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

Swayman stars alongside several A-list cast members in a new documentary titled, premiering on Amazon Prime Video Faceoff: In the NHL. The first episode will be released on Friday, October 4th. The Bruins goalie appears in the third episode. The documentary team followed him during the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Some members of the media have obtained advanced footage from the episode, and through that we learned some of what Swayman says. One topic Swayman discusses in the episode is what was said during the arbitration process, and he admits to keeping a list of strikes against him.

Keep in mind that these comments were made during the filming of the documentary last season.

“When you walk into that room, you don’t say a word,” Swayman says in the episode, transcribed by Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic. “My referee started first, he said all these great things. The referees on their side are tasked with helping the management and ripping off the players. And hearing that you’re not worth what you think you deserve was hard to hear. You don’t forget what was said. I wrote them down and looked at them the other day and I had a few check marks. My biggest downside was that I wasn’t trustworthy in the playoffs. Check.”

Swayman was a blast in the 2024 playoffs. He started 12 of the Bruins’ 13 games and led all playoff goaltenders with a .933 save percentage through two rounds. One could easily argue that without Swayman’s brilliant performance in this series, the Bruins would have been eliminated in the first round by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He allowed two goals or fewer in all seven games, including a 30-save performance in an overtime win in Game 7.

The question now is, when will Swayman and the Bruins reach a contract agreement? B’s president Cam Neely indicated earlier this week that the team had offered Swayman a $64 million contract. Swayman’s agent Lewis Gross reacted violently a few hours later.

The deadline for both sides is December 1st. Swayman must be signed by that date to play next season.

If the Bruins have Swayman on the team, they will be a real contender in the Eastern Conference. Without him, the road to the Stanley Cup Final would be much, much more difficult.