Insider trading: Negotiations with Jeremy Swayman face a critical week

TSN Hockey Insiders Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger join host Gino Reda on Tuesday's edition of Insider Trading to cover the latest discussions between the Bruins and their RFA goaltender Jeremy Swayman, the best-case scenario for the Canadiens regarding injury status by Patrik Laine and the Blue Jackets will be granted salary cap relief at the start of the season.

Things are getting worse between the Bruins and Jeremy Swayman after (Boston Bruins president) Cam Neely said he had 64 million reasons why he would play if he were (Bruins goaltender) Swayman. RFA agent Lewis Gross said he was really disappointed in Neely and needed a few days to decide what was next. Could it get worse before it gets better?

Johnston: Well, let's put it this way: As dramatic as it was on Monday, as public as it was, Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins still have a week here to get things right and get back to the negotiating table before one of they lose something tangible. And I think that fact alone guarantees that after a bit of a cooling off period, they'll give it another go. Consider this: If Jeremy Swayman isn't signed by opening night, he'll lose out on salary every night of the season – about $40,000 per day. When he's not wearing the Bruins uniform. If the Bruins don't sign him by opening night, it will be harder for them to fit him under their cap structure when they eventually do. Based on these facts, and while there is obviously some emotion here, Jeremy Swayman still has a bad feeling about the way his 2023 summer arbitration hearing unfolded. He probably doesn't like how Cam Neely has clearly presented a real $64 million offer. There is a lot of money. There is a real offer there and they have a week to come back and try to find something to sign this player.

Dreger: I mean, who's kidding who? This is juicy stuff. As we stand here on the cusp of the start of the NHL regular season and with so much excitement surrounding this filing, I can tell you that the Boston Bruins remain hopeful, optimistic and determined to do something to sign their Bona fide Goalkeeper No. 1. And the regular season is just around the corner again. The Boston Bruins can't tell you what the timeline is to get anything done because negotiations are still ongoing. They wanted to move on as amicably as possible, understanding that social media – the rumor mill – is where all sorts of scenarios, including trading opportunities, are being trotted out. But look, we need to remind everyone out there that he is a restricted free agent. The Boston Bruins own his rights, so none of this is going to happen any time soon. They continue to strive to obtain an extension.

A day full of good and bad news for the Montreal Canadiens as they learned that (defender) David Reinbacher had left knee surgery and the 2023 fifth overall pick is now five to six months away. We also learn that Patrik Laine does not require surgery. How did you make this decision?

Dreger: Honestly, the best case scenario for Patrik Laine and the Montreal Canadiens, because we all saw the pictures Saturday night after the collision with Toronto Maple Leafs' Cedric Pare. It looked terrible. Everyone was unwell and it looked like surgery would be certain to repair the damage to his left knee. They had to go through the process medically and that included all the doctors involved, the Montreal Canadiens medical department and of course Patrik Laine and his representatives. It was thought that he might need a few extra days this week to finally decide which path he wanted to take. But once they determined that surgery wasn't necessary, the decision was easy for Patrik Laine. So it's a knee sprain. He will continue to be in rehab and is expected to be out for two, maybe two and a half months.

We've talked a lot about the league having an $88 million salary cap this season, but teams also have a $65 million cap hit – a number that the Blue Jackets might need a little help with right now need?

Johnston: Well, yes. After the tragedy of the deaths of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, this was obviously a sensitive and sensitive discussion, but from a competitive standpoint, a discussion needed to be had with the NHL and the NHL Players' Association about what would happen to the Blue Jackets. And they've agreed that Columbus basically doesn't have to hit the salary floor to start the season, like every team would normally have to do due to timing and circumstances. What it means for Columbus, because they have to get there at some point – they're still looking for help at the forward position, looking at the waiver wire and trade options, but they don't have a mid-next week deadline like a team normally would.