By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter @TCalauttis
The first day of Boston Bruins training camp involved next to no on-ice activities, but it may still be the most eventful day of the week. General Manager Don Sweeney and Head Coach Jim Montgomery addressed the media at Warrior Ice Arena and dropped several bombshells on the fan base.
Here are the biggest takeaways from Day One of camp:
No Deal for Swayman
Sweeney started the press conference with three remarks: sending his condolences to the Gaudreau family, congratulating Ryan Johnston and Judd Sirott on their new roles within the organization, and breaking the biggest news of the day: that Jeremy Swayman will NOT be attending training camp.
“Jeremy Swayman will not be in attendance tomorrow on the ice,” said Sweeney. “He has chosen to wait, and rightfully so, until a contract is settled. It’s our intention to continue to negotiate a contract.” Sweeney continued, “At the end of the day, I’m optimistic because I think we’ll find a landing spot before December 1st.”
This is unequivocally a ‘worst-case scenario’ for a team that hitched its long-term wagons to Swayman when it traded Linus Ullmark prior to the 2024 NHL Draft. Sweeney refused to go into specifics about where the two sides were in their negotiations, preferring to keep the situation close to the vest out of respect for all sides.
The press conference got a bit lively when Sweeney addressed some of the ‘inconsistencies’ that have been reported regarding the ongoing talks with Swayman. He specifically took aim at Barstool’s ‘Spittin’ Chiclets’ podcast, which used one of their recent episodes to discuss rumors on the Swayman situation.
“I think it’s bullsh*t that somebody says I wouldn’t return a call for three weeks; that’s inaccurate,” griped Sweeney. “I don’t listen to podcasts; my son loves (Paul Bissonnette, co-host of the podcast), he’s a great entertainer. But at the end of the day, (the statements Bissonnette made on his show) are inaccurate.”
The part of Sweeney’s press conference that made my ears prick up was when he discussed a potential deadline for these talks. He continually referenced December 1st, the league-mandated absolute deadline for restricted free agents to sign or else they cannot play for the season. He may just be using that deadline as an arbitrary benchmark, but the fact that he didn’t mention a date in the preseason or opening night makes me think we could be in for a long and tense cold war between both sides.
2RW is up for Grabs
After the bombast of the Swayman news settled down and Don Sweeney moved the conversation forward, the next biggest item addressed was the opening at the second-line right-wing position. Brad Marchand confirmed at the team’s first captain’s practice that he expects to be skating alongside Charlie Coyle again, so the big question is who will take that spot.
“To me, I think Monty’s going to have the opportunity to play around with it,” said Sweeney. “Clearly we would like to see a player emerge, like I’ve said before. Beecher and Poitras are great examples of two players from last year who were the pleasant surprises that we all hope for from a development path.”
This quote from Sweeney screams Fabian Lysell. The 2021 first-round pick has received a decent amount of hype this offseason, and it seems like it’s now or never for him to seize his opportunity. He’s coming off a season where he notched 15-35-50 in 56 for the Providence Bruins before his season was cut short by injury.
Sweeney also made sure to mention veteran Tyler Johnson by name when asked about the second-line winger spot. The 34-year-old Stanley Cup Champion had a somewhat resurgent season last year for the lowly Blackhawks, posting 17-14-31 in 67 games while playing with less-than-ideal talent around him. He’s now three years removed from artificial disc replacement surgery and has posted back-to-back seasons of over 30 points. If someone like Lysell doesn’t win the job, Johnson could be a security blanket pick for the role.
Loose Pucks
- Captain Brad Marchand will not be ready for training camp as he is still recovering from his three offseason procedures. Sweeney said he is on track to be ready for opening night.
- When asked about Matt Poitras, Sweeney said the team will try him out at both center and wing during camp. He also didn’t rule out the possibility of Poitras spending some time in Providence.
- Head Coach Jim Montgomery is heading into the last year of his deal with Boston. Sweeney said there have been talks but mentioned nothing concrete when pressed about it. For what it’s worth, Montgomery didn’t seem too worried when asked.
- Defensemen Alec Regula and Jackson Edward will most likely not be available for camp. Regula is recovering from offseason surgery, and Edward suffered an injury during the Prospect Challenge that should keep him out for 7-10 days.
- When pressed about his current goaltending situation, Sweeney was complimentary of Brandon Bussi and Joonas Korpisalo. He said Korpisalo’s body of work and goaltending guru Bob Essensa’s track record gives him confidence.
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