The stalemate between the Boston Bruins and their restricted free-agent netminder has reached a boiling point. The 25-year-old goalie opted to skip training camp, prompting coach Jim Montgomery to name Joonas Korpisalo the starter for the season opener against the Florida Panthers.
At a preseason press conference, team president Cam Neely expressed disappointment that a deal hadn’t been reached, stating that the team’s offer was substantial. However, the goalie’s agent, Lewis Gross, fired back, disputing the team’s claims and expressing frustration that the negotiations were being discussed publicly.
Gross released a statement claiming that the team’s reported offer was never actually presented during negotiations and that the team’s comments were unfair to his client. The agent stated that they would take a few days to regroup and reassess their strategy.
Neely suggested that the goalie’s asking price was unreasonable, implying that he was seeking to reset the market for goalies. The team’s general manager has faced criticism for not locking down the goalie to a new deal before trading his partner, Linus Ullmark, to the Ottawa Senators.
The goalie, who has a.919 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average over his four-year career, is seeking a significant raise from his $3.475 million salary last season. Reports suggest that the team offered an eight-year deal, while the goalie’s camp is seeking an average annual value of $9.5 million, which would put him among the top-paid goalies in the league.
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