Checking In On Notable Remaining Restricted Free Agents
We are now three weeks away from training camp opening up in the NHL with preseason games coming quickly after. We recently checked in on several free-agent players looking for new homes shortly before preseason action and we’ll now pivot to notable restricted free agents still looking to re-up with their current clubs.
Goalies
One of the most oft-mentioned restricted free agents over the summer has been Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins. Recent reporting indicates that Swayman is not looking for the rumored $10MM a year salary but is looking more in the $8.5MM range. This would be a welcome sign for most teams but not for the Bruins as they are seeking a contract closer to $6MM a year and that gap is not close to getting bridged. They may come together soon and agree to a short-term pact that could lead Swayman to unrestricted free agency and give the Bruins more time to figure out their salary cap structure; this has all the makings of a contract negotiation that could leak into the regular season.
A reasonable price for Swayman may land between both asking prices with honest arguments. Swayman has earned a 79-33-15 record in 125 starts over his career in Boston with a .919 SV% and 2.34 GAA. There is a legitimate argument that Swayman has benefited greatly from the team playing in front of him and sharing the net for several years with now-Ottawa Senator, Linus Ullmark. Swayman’s side will likely argue that $8.5MM is a reasonable salary for an undisputed starter on a playoff-caliber team. He earned the majority of starts last season (43) and finished sixth in the league in goals saved above average with 16.4 with approximately 10 fewer games played than other goaltenders above him.
Defensemen
It’s been a quiet summer for the 2021-22 Calder Memorial Trophy winner Moritz Seider. He saw his entry-level contract expire on July 1st and very little has been reported on regarding current negotiations between himself and the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings currently own around $17.65MM in cap space so money won’t be an issue in retaining either Seider or his teammate Lucas Raymond (more on that later).
The young German defenseman has not missed a game since making his NHL debut on October 14th, 2021, and has been Detroit’s best defenseman since then. He’s been solid offensively with 21 goals and 134 points in 246 games over his entry-level deal but his defensive metrics are much more difficult to interpret. Seider is regularly put into bad situations when he hits the ice as the Red Wings’ most serviceable option on the back end. He’s finished towards the bottom of the roster in on-ice save percentage over his three-year career but he also finishes towards the top of the team in defensive zone starts.
The other notable restricted free-agent defenseman is nearly 1,200 miles away in Dallas, Texas. Thomas Harley is coming off an electric season with the Dallas Stars scoring 15 goals and 47 points in 79 games. He quickly became an offensive option behind Miro Heiskanen and gave the Stars more of a complete powerplay. The most recent reporting came on August 9th with general manager Jim Hill maintaining confidence that Harley will sign soon.
Forwards
Circling back to Detroit; Raymond joins Seider as another restricted free agent yet to re-sign with the Red Wings. He’s a more complicated situation to interpret as Raymond exploded offensively with 31 goals and 72 points last year. The young Swedish forward averaged 53 points a season before that so Detroit may have more desire for a short-term pact before they commit to Raymond as a first-line talent. Coupled with a shooting percentage 6.4% higher than his career average last year; the Red Wings may believe a certain amount of regression is in order next year.
Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes arguably represents the most talented option left on the board. A report yesterday from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period indicates a long-term deal may be on the horizon. It’s no surprise why both sides are targeting a long-term contract as he already showed his importance last year for Carolina before the organization lost a few key forwards this summer. He finished second on the team in scoring last season with 33 goals and 67 points in 82 games while chipping in another five goals and nine points in 11 postseason contests. The contract should eat into much of Carolina’s remaining salary cap space of $6.44MM according to PuckPedia.
The last notable restricted free agent forward we’ll touch on is Dawson Mercer of the New Jersey Devils. The two sides have reportedly exchanged proposals which lends to the idea a deal will be done soon. He’s not as high-profile as some of the other forwards on New Jersey’s roster but Mercer has been a consistent and available scorer since entering the league three years ago. He hasn’t missed a game since the start of the 2021-22 season which has become invaluable to a Devils’ roster that has been rocked by injuries the last few years. Given his reliability and offensive abilities his AAV should land between Ondrej Palat ($6MM AAV) and Erik Haula ($3.15MM AAV) on the Devils’ salary cap table.
Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Stützle, LeBreton Flats, Leenders
Speculation floating around that Bruins RFA netminder Jeremy Swayman wants a $10MM average annual value on his next deal is likely unfounded, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff said on SN960 The FAN’s Big Show on Wednesday.
Swayman’s camp is holding out for an AAV in the $8.5MM range on a long-term deal, while the Bruins are holding firm just north of $6MM per season, per Seravalli. He adds there hasn’t been much progress toward a resolution since those numbers were first exchanged earlier this summer.
“I think that’s a pretty sizeable gap that hasn’t been bridged yet and with the trade of Linus Ullmark, it’s obvious that Swayman is such a big part of what the Bruins’ future looks like and the stability of their core because the goaltending has been the backbone of that team,” Seravalli said. “But if you have a philosophical difference on what you think your goaltender should make, and if you thought that with the numbers he’s posted that he was going to be in that range, I can understand why there’s been a disconnect there.”
Swayman, 26 in November, posted a .916 SV%, 2.53 GAA, and three shutouts with a 25-10-8 record last season in 44 appearances (43 starts).
Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Senators star center Tim Stützle has changed agents, per PuckPedia. After signing his eight-year, $66.8MM extension in 2022 under Octagon’s Ben Hankinson, he’ll now be represented by longtime NHLer Claude Lemieux of 4sports Hockey. He becomes Lemieux’s second client on the Sens, joining goaltender Mads Søgaard. Lemieux’s notable body of work includes Timo Meier‘s eight-year, $70.4MM deal with the Devils, Hampus Lindholm‘s eight-year, $52MM deal in Boston, and Joel Eriksson Ek‘s eight-year, $42MM deal with the Wild.
- Still with Ottawa, the franchise is still in negotiations with the National Capital Commission on a memorandum of understanding regarding their plan to build a new arena in the LeBreton Flats neighborhood downtown, team president Cyril Leeder said (via Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet). They’ve got less than a month to complete them with their temporary agreement with the city expiring on Sep. 20. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun said in April that public parking was the largest concern with the current plan.
- Sabres goaltending prospect Ryerson Leenders will have a new home for junior hockey this season. The Ontario Hockey League’s Brantford Bulldogs acquired him from the Brampton Steelheads today for a whopping eight draft picks, per a team announcement. Buffalo selected Leenders, 18, with the 219th overall pick in this summer’s draft. He had a .909 SV% in 46 games for the Steelheads last season, the best in the league.
Swayman Educated Himself After Testy RFA Battle Last Offseason
Bruins star netminder Jeremy Swayman remains without a contract for next season and beyond. The RFA is embroiled in a dispute for the second summer in a row, requiring an arbitration hearing to hand down a one-year, $3.475MM agreement.
Prospect Notes: Skinner, Morello, Armstrong
Former pro Brett Skinner has stepped into the role of general manager for the USHL’s Fargo Force, succeeding Cary Eades, who has held the position since 2015. Eades will stay as Fargo’s assistant general manager, while Skinner will continue his duties as Fargo’s head coach.
Eades has a storied career through USA Hockey, serving in various coaching and managerial roles across Minnesota high school, college, and the USHL. He’s spent 15 years with the University of North Dakota, 11 years at Warroad High School, and now nine years with Fargo. He’ll pass the torch to Skinner, who’s found his groove as a coach after a pro career that took him through 12 different pro leagues and spanned 410 career AHL games and one Calder Cup Championship. His championship tendencies followed into his coaching career, with Skinner winning the 2018 USHL championship as an assistant coach with Sioux Falls, then winning the 2023 NAHL championship and 2024 USHL championship as a head coach. He’s proven successful thus far and will now take on even more responsibilities for a Fargo team coming off a 50-10-2 performance last season.
Other notes from around the prospect world:
- Boston Bruins prospect Jonathan Morello has de-committed from Clarkson University just ahead of the start of the school year and will instead join the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints for the 2024-25 season, the team’s training camp roster confirms. Morello spent the last two seasons with the St. Michael’s Buzzers of the OJHL, posting 97 points in 101 games. That was enough to earn him the 154th-overall selection in the 2024 Draft – and Morello will now look to climb the ranks of Boston’s depth chart with a step up in the juniors hockey world.
- The Nashville Predators have signed left-winger Easton Armstrong to an amateur try-out and included him on their rookie showcase roster. Armstrong is one of six right-handed wingers on the roster. He’s coming off a long career in the WHL, spanning five seasons and 210 games. He scored 60 goals and 99 points across those appearances, finding a promising edge as a power forward thanks to his six-foot-three, 205-pound frame. Armstrong is an unrestricted free agent after going undrafted through the 2022, 2023, and 2024 draft classes.
Neely Not Concerned About Swayman's Contract Situation
The Bruins have yet to re-sign goaltender Jeremy Swayman after both sides opted to pass on a repeat of last year’s arbitration process. While some fans are concerned that a deal isn’t done yet, the same can’t be said for team president Cam Neely. In an interview with WZLX (audio link), Neely indicated that he’s confident an agreement will be reached soon:
Swayman has been one of the top goalies statistically over the last two seasons, playing to a 2.41 GAA and a .918 SV% over that stretch in 81 appearances. Now that his platoon partner Linus Ullmark is in Ottawa, Swayman is the undisputed starter and is quite likely seeking a salary commensurate with that despite his single-season benchmark for games played being just 44. The Bruins have a little over $8.6MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, which should be plenty to keep Swayman in the fold.
Snapshots: Swayman, Brodzinski, Yager
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman is at risk of entering September without a contract for the season. But team president and NHL Hall of Famer Cam Neely isn’t bothered by negotiations dragging on. In an appearance on The Rich Shertenlieb Show, Neely said, “Something will get done. There’s no question. I mean, not every negotiation is as smooth as you’d like it. I know our fan base would certainly love to have something done by now. But I’m fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.”
Swayman has expressed confidence of his own that a deal will get done – making the ongoing holdout a bit surprising. The Bruins carry $8.64MM in projected cap space, per PuckPedia, and a full roster signed otherwise. That should be plenty of budget to sign Swayman to, at least, a short-term deal – perhaps an indication that contract details like signing bonuses are the impeding factor. Swayman has had a stellar NHL career through three seasons, posting a .919 save percentage in 132 games, but he’s yet to exceed 45 starts in a single season. That’s set to change in a big way with Linus Ullmark now in Ottawa – and if Swayman can withstand the barrage is yet to be seen.
Other notes from around the league:
- College free agent Bryce Brodzinski has signed a one-year deal with the AHL’s Ontario Reign. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Brodzinski in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but didn’t sign before August 1, 2024 deadline – pushing him into free agency after a five-year career at the University of Minnesota. Brodzisnki scored more-and-more in every season, ultimately posting a career-high 36 points in 39 games this year. He’ll look to continue growing next year, stepping into a competitive Ontario lineup where he’ll battle Los Angeles Kings prospects Martin Chromiak, Koehn Ziemmer, and Kaleb Lawrence for ice time on the wings.
- The newest top Winnipeg Jets prospect, Brayden Yager, will either play in the NHL or CHL this season Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff shares with The Athletic’s Murat Ates. Yager remains eligible for the NHL-CHL agreement by just four days – keeping him eligible to return to the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he won a WHL championship last season. Yager played a pivotal role in the ring-winning year, scoring a career-high 35 goals and 95 points in 57 regular-season games and 27 points in 20 playoff games. He’s lived up to his 14th-overall standing thus far, and will have now receive a chance to break into the next step as part of a new team.
Bruins Reportedly Considering Offering PTOs To Yamamoto And Wheeler
- The Bruins are believed to be considering offering UFA wingers Kailer Yamamoto and Blake Wheeler tryouts for next month’s training camp, suggests Shawn Hutcheon of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Yamamoto is coming off a down year that saw him record just 16 points in 55 games with Seattle while Wheeler had 21 points in 54 contests while also missing considerable time with a leg injury. Boston could stand to add some depth on the wing but until they get Jeremy Swayman’s contract sorted out, they’re unlikely to do any guaranteed contracts.
Beecher Likely To Regularly Play On Wing This Season
- Despite being drafted as a center and spending most of last season down the middle, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald suggests that John Beecher will line up primarily as a winger for the upcoming season. Boston picked up Mark Kastelic from Ottawa as part of the Linus Ullmark trade and the sense seems to be that he will anchor the fourth line with Beecher lining up on the wing with him. The 23-year-old had 10 points in 52 games with the Bruins last season in his first taste of NHL action. He’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.
Jeremy Swayman Confident He Will Stay With Boston
One of the more outwardly difficult negotiations this summer has been between the Boston Bruins and goaltender Jeremy Swayman. Neither Boston nor Swayman opted to go through salary arbitration this offseason but the organization may have gotten a jolt to their system after the hockey world watched the St. Louis Blues make offer sheets to two members of the Edmonton Oilers a few days ago.
It doesn’t appear Swayman is worried about the lack of a contract up to this point with him asserting confidence he will remain with the Bruins in an interview on NESN earlier this week. In the interview, Swayman was quoted, “There’s a lot of confidence. And I say that because I’ve treated it like business as usual this year. I’ve been at Warrior, I’ve been working out with our guys, our staff, our players. And I know that there’s something special building in this locker room this year, and I can’t be more excited about that. I know that it will take care of itself with time, and all I can do is control how I’m going to be a better goalie for the Boston Bruins this year. So, that’s all I’m focused on. And I know, again, it will work out, and I couldn’t be happier to be a Bruin“.
Cap space won’t be an issue for the Bruins with these negotiations as they still own approximately $8.6MM according to PuckPedia. The only reason Swayman’s contract would become a major concern for the salary cap is if a team takes the same approach as St. Louis and signs Swayman to an offer sheet north of their current allotment.
Earlier this week on ‘32 Thoughts‘, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet argued that Swayman and the Bruins weren’t close on a new contract, and the negotiations have been challenging. The exact reason for the strife is unknown but it’s likely due to Swayman’s camp potentially overestimating the value of the young netminder up to this point.
That’s not to say Swayman hasn’t been an exceptional goaltender up to this point in his career, but he’s largely shared the net with goaltender Linus Ullmark. Once a contract gets done between the two sides, the 2024-25 season will be his first as the undisputed starting netminder. Since sharing the net with Ullmark in the 2021-22 season, Swayman has only started in 46.7% of the regular season games for Boston.
Because of this, Evolving Hockey projects Swayman to land a four-year contract worth an average annual value of $6.25MM. He may land closer to $7MM if the Bruins can get him on a long-term deal. A similar contract would give Boston plenty of cap space to add during the season. As much as Swayman’s camp may be arguing at the moment, he simply has not proven himself to be in the same echelon as Igor Shesterkin, Andrei Vasilevskiy, or Connor Hellebuyck so far.
Milan Lucic Hopes To Return To NHL, Still In Player Assistance Program
Former Bruins forward Milan Lucic has been training this summer and hopes to return to the NHL, reports Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Lucic has not played since being arrested for a domestic incident last November that resulted in assault and battery charges. Those charges were dropped in February after his wife declined to testify against him, but the Bruins said that he would remain on an indefinite leave of absence for the remainder of the campaign.
Lucic has not officially been suspended from league play by commissioner Gary Bettman, Seravalli clarifies, but notes that the league still needs to clear him to play since he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following his arrest. League doctors have not yet cleared him to exit the program.
Unlike other North American professional sports leagues, the NHL has no dedicated domestic violence policy. As things stand, with no suspension from the league, Lucic would be eligible to sign with any team if he’s cleared from the program.
The 36-year-old, who was a second-round pick of the Bruins and played for them through the 2014-15 season, signed a one-year contract to return to Boston last summer. He became an unrestricted free agent last month after playing just four games in 2023-24.