The Boston Bruins have had a busy offseason to date. While facing serious limitations regarding the salary cap, they have made numerous transactions that will present a much different-looking lineup than the one we saw last season. They have opted to bring in a number of free agents on one-year deals in hopes of having cap freedom next summer. While they have addressed several roster needs, Don Sweeney is far from done.
The Bruins currently have just $5,429,166 in cap space remaining. They still need to re-sign goaltender Jeremy Swayman and forward Trent Frederic, while also potentially keeping enough to bring Patrice Bergeron and/or David Krejci back into the fold if they decide to return. Both Swayman and Frederic have filed for arbitration and will have their hearings on July 31 and Aug. 1 respectively.
Generally, the Bruins have been able to reach a contract settlement before going through with the arbitration hearing. However, interestingly enough many of the Bruins’ players who elect arbitration find themselves wearing another jersey much sooner than later. Today, we look at the Bruins’ arbitration history and what it means for Swayman and Frederic’s future with the organization.
Bruins’ Arbitration History
As mentioned, many past Bruins players who elected for salary arbitration didn’t have very long careers in Boston afterward. In 1999, they became the first team to reject an arbitration decision when forward Dmitri Khristich was awarded $2.8 million. They had offered him $1.95 million and decided to walk, leaving Khristich to sign a four-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In 2001, Bill Guerin also went through the process with the Bruins and was awarded $5.1 million. He signed a one-year deal with the Black and Gold before signing with the Dallas Stars the following offseason.
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After a successful season with the Bruins, Bryan Berard elected for arbitration and was awarded $2.5 million. The club refused to match the salary and he eventually signed a deal with the Chicago Blackhawks after the season got started.
In 2004, Sergei Gonchar, yes he played for the Bruins in case you forgot, was awarded $5.5 million which they agreed to pay. However, due to the NHL lockout, the contract was never signed. He instead signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he ultimately helped them win the Stanley Cup in 2009.
Former captain Joe Thornton also went through the arbitration process in 2004. He was awarded $6.75 million which the Bruins paid. But not even the Bruins’ captain and former first-overall selection could break the trend. On Nov. 30, 2005, the hockey world was shocked when Thornton was dealt to the San Jose Sharks. He went on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as well as the Art Ross Trophy becoming the first player to do so after being traded midseason.
If you haven’t already noticed by now, former Bruins’ players that elected for arbitration generally weren’t in Boston for very long afterward. Time and time again, David Tanabe in 2006, Dennis Wideman in 2008, Matt Hunwick in 2009, Gregory Campbell and Blake Wheeler in 2010, Matt Bartkowski in 2014, Ryan Spooner in 2017, and Danton Heinen in 2019 all had arbitration hearings scheduled. While many of these players were able to negotiate contracts prior to their respective hearings, one has to wonder if there wasn’t a tarnished relationship between them and the organization throughout the process. Each of the players listed was either traded by the Bruins or signed elsewhere at their next opportunity.
Recent Bruins’ Arbitration Results
Despite the narrative of players leaving Boston following the arbitration process, in more recent years the organization has been able to keep players and has been fairly successful at reaching a contract settlement prior to the hearing.
Defencemen Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo were able to come to terms on new deals and they remain integral parts of the Bruins’ defensive corps. Most recently, last summer’s acquisition, Pavel Zacha, was able to avoid arbitration and then earned himself an extension with his play last season.
What This Means for Swayman & Frederic
Although the Bruins’ history isn’t the best for retaining players who elect arbitration the more recent cases have shown that the club is changing that trend. While keeping in mind that in most cases a settlement was reached prior to the actual hearing, it is entirely possible the Bruins sign Swayman and Frederic and avoid arbitration altogether.
However, if both players make it to their hearings, anything can happen. Despite a change in management, Bruins’ ownership remains the same and with the history of shipping all the previously discussed players out of town, it wouldn’t be completely shocking to see either Swayman or Frederic dangled as trade bait in the near future.