Insider Reveals Possible Reason Behind Bruins-Jeremy Swayman Stalemate

Jeremy Swayman’s ongoing contract impasse with the Boston Bruins is getting more and more worrying each passing day with the regular season less than a week away.

According to comments made by Bruins reporter Jimmy Murphy on the "Fifth Liners Podcast" , the dispute may be drawn out for months, with speculation that Swayman’s agent, Louis Gross, is driving the holdout.

“I think this is going to December 1st,” said Murphy. “I really think if we don’t see something in the next two weeks, it’s in for the long haul.”

Murphy’s comments point to Gross’s history of extending and delaying negotiations, notably those involving Toronto Maple Leafs superstar forward William Nylander.

Nylander’s notorious contract standoff with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018 dragged till the very Dec. 1 deadline. The forward did not appear in a regular-season game before the day of his signing, missing a good chunk of the season.

“A scout friend of mine pointed out, he said ‘I got a weird feeling on this Swayman thing. I think it's gonna go for a long time.' And I said why's that?" Murphy said.

“‘Do you not remember William Nylander?' And I said, yeah and he goes, ‘Well, who's Swayman's agent?' And of course it's the same agent as William Nylander, Louis Gross," Murphy continued. "And William Nylander, to this point in the cap era, has the longest holdout.

"William Nylander held out of camp, he didn't play. He went right into the season and didn't play until December 2nd. And he signed three hours before the 5 PM deadline on December 1st to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs and that was in 2018.”

The parallels between Swayman’s current situation and Nylander’s holdout made Murphy wonder if Gross is employing the same tactics.

Swayman, for context, is now the Bruins' clear No. 1 starter following Linus Ullmark’s trade to the Ottawa Senators.

Having that leverage on his side of the negotiations, Swayman is seemingly seeking a contract that pays him $10 million per year, which would make him one of the highest-paid goalies in the NHL.

The Bruins, for now, are not convinced that's the goalie's value and thus are throwing him "lowball" offers closer to $6.2 million, according to Ryan Whitney.

As things stand, it's fair to assume the Bruins will need to start their season on October 8 against the Florida Panthers without Swayman between the pipes.

Related: 'Six, Seven?': Bruins' Level of Worry in Jeremy Swayman Contract Talks