Where does Maine stand in Jeremy Swayman vs. Boston Bruins saga?

For 143 days - the length of time the Boston Bruins and Jeremy Swayman have had to come to a contract agreement since first eligible to do so - we have avoided feeding into the drama of the situation.

But no longer!

That's because the Bruins season begins in less than a week. The B's hit the ice for Game 1 of 82 next Tuesday night in Florida, where they'll have to sit through the Panthers' ring ceremony, watching the team that has ended Boston's last two campaigns celebrate their own Stanley Cup triumph.

And whether Swayman is wearing the spoked-B by next Tuesday or not, we already know it will be Joonas Korpisallo in net for the opener, which Jim Montgomery made known yesterday.

Though at this point, it seems like a stretch to imagine the situation gets resolved in the next six days. The sides seem miles apart in their offers as the saga has now spilled over into the media.

After weeks and months of whispers that Swayman and agent Lewis Gross had been leaking information through the media to bolster their leverage against the team, Cam Neely finally had enough and aired his frustration for "64 million reasons" as to why he thinks Swayman should be in Boston's camp. A number, mind you, that Swayman's camp immediately shot down as untrue.

While most of the conversations I've had with people to this point all result in the same answer - people siding with Swayman over B's management - that sentiment appears to be wearing thin across the fanbase the longer arrows continue to be flung through media channels and the longer Swayman remains away from the team.

I'll never begrudge a player for holding out for every penny they think they're worth. I also know the soft spot many Mainers have for Swayman. I was there in the Alfond for his final game as a Black Bear, doing PA duties at center ice. It was one of the single greatest hockey performances I've witnessed as he stood on his head to shutout Providence in the final game of the season before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season.

The goalie built up A TON of goodwill with us Mainers during his time in Orono. Is that goodwill being cashed in or does Sway have an endless line of credit in the Pine Tree State?