Maple Leafs inadvertently help the Bruins in arbitration
Similarly to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins just went through an arbitration case for one of their budding young goaltenders in Jeremy Swayman.
The case had to go through arbitration after the team presented the goaltender with a $2 million offer, while Swayman's camp was looking at a $4.8 million AAV. With both sides $2.8 million apart, the arbitrator awarded Swayman with a $3.475 million dollar salary, according to Elliotte Friedman.
The Maple Leafs found themselves in a similar position with Ilya Samsonov after the team offered $2.4 million, while the goaltender was looking for a $4.9 million offer. It's almost an identical situation and it begs the question of whether or not the Toronto situation ended up helping the Bruins.
Not only were their asks and eventual arbitration salaries almost identical to a tee, their season stats were just as similar. Swayman finished the season 24-6-4 in 37 games with a .920 SV% and a 2.27 G.A.A with 4 shutouts, while Samsonov finished his season going 27-10-5 in 42 games with a .919 SV% and a 2.33 G.A.A with 4 shutouts as well. Samsonov's arbitration award was a 1-year deal at $3.55M.
The Bruins were relatively cap-strapped even with the departures of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Dmitry Orlov, and Taylor Hall. The bonus overages and David Pastrnak's new extension pushed them near the edge and with Swayman's arbitration award and fellow RFA Trent Frederic's settlement (2x$2.3M), it has put them in the red.
Samsonov's arbitration case may have inadvertently helped out their rivals as the Bruins were able to keep their young goaltender under contract for at least one more season at a relatively friendly cost.
