Marchand unfazed by Swayman's negotiations: 'Part of the game'

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand doesn't see Jeremy Swayman's lack of a contract as a distraction ahead of the 2024-25 season.

"I wouldn't say it's hard to keep it out of the room. ... We all understand the situation that the team and Sway are in," he told reporters Tuesday. "This is part of the game. ... It's the part that nobody enjoys. Eventually, the deal is going to get done and everyone's gonna move on and be fine."

He continued: "When you're dealing with a term deal, once it's signed, there's so much weight that gets lifted off, not just the player's shoulder but the team. Then it's just all about coming together and finding a way to win and building toward that goal.

"It's tough because we all care about Sway. We want to see him back. ... Every player goes through it at some point. To the extent in which it gets dragged on is always different, but everybody goes through negotiations."

Speculation surrounding Swayman's contract negotiations reached a new level Monday after Bruins president Cam Neely said the restricted free-agent netminder has "64-million reasons" to be playing right now.

Neely appeared to hint at a potential eight-year offer for Swayman with an $8-million cap hit, which would make him the sixth-highest-paid goalie in 2024-25. Swayman's agent, Lewis Gross, denied hearing that figure in talks, saying Neely's comment "was not fair" to his client.

Swayman has until Dec. 1 to sign a contract and still be eligible to play this season.

Marchand himself has contract negotiations to think about. He has one season remaining on his current eight-year, $49-million extension.

The 36-year-old veteran said in early September that he wasn't interested in discussing his talks publicly, though he believes there's "enough respect" between himself and Boston to "deal with it."

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed Monday that he's had some discussions with Marchand's camp, according to Boston.com's Conor Ryan.

Marchand underwent elbow, groin, and abdomen surgery this offseason but is expected to make his preseason debut Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers.