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The Boston Bruins have signed center Elias Lindholm and behemoth defenseman Nikita Zadorov to multi-year contracts, making them two of the most significant free-agent signings of the 2024 offseason. However, their most significant signing, both short- and long-term, is yet to occur. It may eat up the majority, if not all, of the $8.6 million in salary cap space they currently have. We are, of course, referring to top goalkeeper and RFA Jeremy Swayman.
The 25-year-old made the starting role his own in Boston this season, and he’s received a significant bump from his $3.475 million salary in 2023-24.
Swayman may accept a bridge deal that would get him through the next two seasons before becoming a UFA in 2026-27, but we believe Bruins GM Don Sweeney will offer Swayman a longer-term contract that at least doubles his compensation starting next season. That’s mostly because, if Swayman were to go to the open market, a $7-million-per-season contract would most likely be the starting point for negotiations. Swayman’s services would be in high demand, with plenty of suitors eager to pay at least that much, if not more. Agents for other elite goalies are also keeping a careful eye on what happens with Swayman’s contract.
New York Rangers superstar netminder Igor Shesterkin and Vegas Golden Knights starter Adin Hill are both going to be UFAs next summer, while Vancouver Canucks star goalie Thatcher Demko will be a UFA in 2026. Each team has its in-house budgets to adhere to, but if Swayman swings for the fences and comes up with a deal with at least an $8-million cap hit, the tide will rise accordingly for all goalie boats.
Now, the Golden Knights have shown multiple times already that they’re unafraid to change goalies even after relatively successful seasons. There’s been a constant carousel of goalies moving through Nevada since the franchise’s inception, with veterans including Hill, Marc-Andre Fleury, Robin Lehner, Logan Thompson, Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick moving in and out of the organization. For that reason, Hill may not have nearly the same amount of negotiating leverage as his colleagues on other teams. The Golden Knights clearly have a philosophy that doesn’t prioritize goaltending, so Hill’s salary may not rise all that much from his 2024-25 salary of $4.9 million, and the term he gets may be only three or four years.
That said, Shesterkin and Demko are in a position to make much more money than the $5.66 million and $5 million they’re respectively making this coming season. Shesterkin will be 29 years old next summer, smack in the middle of his prime, and at that point, backup Quick will be 39 years old and close to retirement. In Vancouver, youngster Arturs Silovs is currently just 23 years old, but just the idea of letting the 28-year-old Demko leave makes Canucks fans faint with angst. Both Shesterkin and Demko are crucial components of their team, and that will be reflected in their next contracts. Demko had a better goals-against average (2.45) and save percentage (.918) in 2023-24 than Swayman did (2.53 and .916), while Shesterkin’s career averages are even better (2.43, .921) despite a slightly worse season by his standards. Even though Swayman is three years younger, each goalie should attempt to get a chunk more than what he gets.
Jeremy Swayman on the Boston Bruins organization: "I think it's obvious how much I care about this organization, how much I care about this team and the city…I wouldn't want it to be any other way." pic.twitter.com/XWLWl1FQpj
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 19, 2024
Related: The Vancouver Canucks Will Look Different in 2024-25. Will they be better? Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers is now the highest-paid goalie on the market, earning $10 million per season. However, by the time Shesterkin, Demko, and Swayman reach Bobrovsky’s age, the league’s upper salary maximum will have jumped by millions, making it entirely possible that the aforementioned trio of netminders will outearn Bobrovsky. However, the speed of the goaltender carousel suggests that many, if not most, teams will be unwilling to spend that much money for a position whose performance can vary greatly from month to month and year to year.
This dance between goaltenders and organizations is all about striking the right balance between money and meaning. However, Swayman’s next deal will be a sign of things to come for premier goaltenders. Most clubs must tread carefully when it comes to compensation and contract terms, but for teams in need of goalkeeper stability, keeping their current netminders happy and safe will almost certainly entail paying considerably more per season to those crucial players.
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