The deadline for teams to choose arbitration has passed.
Boston Bruins did not opt for salary arbitration with Jeremy Swayman, leaving them open to potential offer sheets. They have $8.6M in cap space but could face trouble from other teams.
A possible offer sheet for Swayman might fall into the ‘Tier Five’ range, meaning a salary between $6.87M and $9.16M. If Boston can’t match this, they would lose their first, second, and third-round picks to the signing team. Even if the Bruins match an offer close to $9.16M, they’d be tight against the salary cap.
According to CapFriendly, only a few teams can afford such an offer: Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Seattle Kraken. The Sabres and Red Wings are unlikely due to limited cap space after signing their restricted free agents (RFAs). The Predators and Islanders already have strong goaltenders at the NHL level while Flyers and Kraken don’t have enough cap space.
Potential Moves by Montreal:
Why not reignite a classic rivalry? The Canadiens have over $10M in space with two RFAs left—Arber Xhekaj and Justin Barron—who won’t take much of that cap room. Montreal has made bold moves before; remember when they signed Sebastian Aho?
Montreal could trade Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia for nothing in return this summer to clear nearly $8M in cap space. This would allow younger players to fill those roster spots easily.
Fans might think this is a risky but exciting move!
Montreal holds several draft picks from various trades: Calgary’s conditional first-round pick in 2025, Pittsburgh’s second-round pick in 2025, New Jersey’s conditional third-round pick in 2025, and Vancouver’s third-round pick in 2025. Even if they part with their own first three picks for 2025 NHL Draft , they’d still make four selections within the first three rounds.
However, signing Swayman could negatively impact Sam Montembeault’s position as starting goalie . Montembeault had a decent season last year with a record of 16-15-9 but his stats (.903 save percentage and 3.14 GAA) don’t compare to Swayman’s impressive career numbers (.919 SV% and 2.34 GAA). Despite Montembeault’s recent three-year extension worth $9.45M based on his performance last season , bringing in Swayman would mean upgrading significantly while also taking a jab at their rivals!
What do you think about these potential moves? Share your thoughts!
