Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed restricted free agent goaltender Jeremy Swayman will not report to training camp until a new contract with the Original Six franchise is solidified.
"Jeremy Swayman will not be in attendance tomorrow on the ice," Sweeney told reporters at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday. "He has chosen to wait, and rightfully so, until a contract is settled.
"It's our intention to continue to negotiate a contract. I'm disappointed that when you set things as a priority in a general manager's spot that you do your best to try and accomplish that and I haven't been able to do that yet."
Sweeney said some of the rumors circulating are "completely inaccurate" and reiterated how the Bruins do business is always held close to the vest to respect those involved.
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"I will not go into depth of the negotiations or talks we had," Sweeney said. "We're excited about the players that are here and looking to move forward. As I said, I'm disappointed, but at the end of the day, I'm optimistic because I think we'll find a landing spot before Dec. 1."
Dec. 1 represents the deadline for Swayman to be able to play during the 2024-25 season.
The Bruins will open on-ice practice with veteran Joonas Korpisalo battling Ryan Bischel, Brandon Bussi, Michael DiPietro and Nolan Maier for a job between the pipes. However, Sweeney noted not having Swayman in training camp is not ideal.
"Every day that Jeremy is out hurts our team and it hurts him," Sweeney said. "... But it's not going to stop to hopefully finding common ground and getting it done. I'm not going to predict, but I firmly believe he will be in before Dec. 1 because we all want him to play hockey and our team will be better for it."
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Featured image via Dan Hamilton/Imagn Images