Jeremy Swayman resetting goalie contracts for Stuart Skinner's new goalie union

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Liam McCormick
September 30, 2024 (5:19 PM)

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Jeremy Swayman will likely be holding out from the Boston Bruins to begin the season, and his actions will directly affect the Edmonton Oilers.

Bruins president Cam Neely revealed that Swayman has declined an 8 year contract for $8M each year today. Swayman believes his worth to be higher than that with the salary cap increasing, and is looking to reset the market price for NHL starting goalies. Swayman's agent has since released a statement saying Neely's comments were not truthful, and they've never received that offer.

Earlier this offseason, Stuart Skinner parted ways with his agent JP Barry and hired Ray Petkau. Skinner's new agent is the leader of a self-described Goalie Union that represents six other NHL goalies.

Many of Petkau's goaltenders are on reasonable contracts and according to Jason Gregor, Skinner's new agent doesn't have a reputation for ambitious salary demands. However, Skinner is certainly due for a big raise from his current $2.6M salary, and Swayman's negotiations may drive up the asking price further.

Skinner and Swayman are both 25 years old, and the Bruins netminder has only played 9 more NHL games than Skinner. Swayman's save percentage is 10 points higher and he's also won 5 more games than Skinner. However, Skinner has the advantage of taking his team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. Swayman's stats are slightly better than Skinner's so it's fair to assume he would be paid just below him.

Wherever Swayman's next salary is, Stuart Skinner won't be far behind him. Oilers fans should be paying close attention to this negotiation, because when Skinner is due for his next contract in two more seasons, he'll be referencing this contract as a primary comparable.