An arbiter has ruled that restricted free-agent Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is entitled to a contract worth $3.475 million after his arbitration case was heard Sunday. The Bruins requested a salary of $2 million, while Swayman was seeking $4.8 million. The Bruins have elected to sign the goaltender to a one-year contract.
Swayman was a third-round draft pick of the Bruins in 2017 and has been among the most reliable backup goalies in the NHL. In 88 career games, Swayman is 54-23-7 with a 2.24 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. Those numbers are impressive enough to earn a starting spot on many NHL teams. However, his teammate Linus Ullmark just won the Vezina Trophy for the league’s top goaltender after a brilliant 2022-23 season. Ullmark has two years remaining on a $5 million contract as well. The tandem won the Jennings Trophy for best goalie pairing and are best of friends.
The Bruins also signed restricted free agent forward Trent Frederic to a two-year deal with an annual cap hit of $2.3 million. The former first-round pick scored 17 goals in a breakout season in 2022-23. Boston had just about $6 million in salary cap space to sign the two players and are now with limited cap space with 22 players on the roster.
