We’re almost through the end of training camp, with days until the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season opener against the Montreal Canadiens on October 9. September has come to a merciful end, and it’s worth taking a look across the division, as a few rival clubs made some noise in the NHL landscape writ large Monday.

Toronto is off for team bonding in Bracebridge, Ontario, so without further ado, here is a quick Atlantic Division notebook:

Jeremy Swayman’s contract negotiations are arguably the most compelling storyline to be resolved ahead of the upcoming season, and the discussions became even more hostile Monday. Boston Bruins president Cam Neely took a thinly veiled shot at Swayman, then appeared to hint at the framework of an eight-year deal worth $8 million annually that was presented to the star goalie.

“I don’t want to get into the weeds with what his ask is but I know that I have 64 million reasons why I’d be playing right now,” Neely said during his media availability.

This statement immediately spurred the idea that Swayman has rejected the framework of an 8×8 deal with the Bruins set to open their season against the defending champion Florida Panthers on October 8. Swayman is expected to operate as Boston’s true No. 1 after forming an elite tandem with Linus Ullmark, who was traded to the Ottawa Senators in the offseason, ostensibly to clear the runway. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed that Joonas Korpisalo will be the opening night starter, and this unresolved dilemma threatens to cast a pall over their season.

Swayman’s camp did not take Neely’s remarks lightly. Lewis Gross, Swayman’s agent, released a statement expressing his disappointment in the Bruins, while rejecting the notion that his client has been offered a deal worth $64 million.

“At today’s press conference, $64 million was referenced. That was the first time that number was discussed in our negotiations. Prior to the press conference, no offer was made reaching that level,” Gross wrote via Instagram.

“We are extremely disappointed. This was not fair to Jeremy. We will take a few days to discuss where we go from here.”

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the Bruins made Swayman a seven-year offer worth $7.8 million annually.

It’s worth mentioning that Gross is William Nylander’s agent (how is this about the Leafs? We’ve got you covered!) and he negotiated an eight-year pact worth $92 million for the Maple Leafs’ star in January. It’s entirely possible we get a resolution before the start of the season and we’ve advocated in this space before for star players to get their money commensurate to their labour. None of that changes because it’s a divisional rival, but it is somewhat intriguing to see the Bruins squirm, while being seemingly unwilling to pay one of the top goaltenders in the league what he’s worth. With a week remaining until the season opener, Swayman’s contract negotiations will be under a further magnifying glass.

Aleksander Barkov’s 2023-24 season was one for the ages, lifting the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career, while capturing the Selke Trophy by a runaway margin. Despite losing several depth pieces, the Florida Panthers may be poised to repeat as champions this year, with Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Gustav Forsling and Sergei Bobrovsky leading the charge.

Barkov is aware that the Panthers will have a proverbial target on their back, and he provided a brief state of the Atlantic Division during training camp.

“I feel like every team in our division got a little better if not a lot better,” Barkov said to John Wawrow of The Associated Press. “I guess it’s a really good challenge for us. We like playing those hard games where you can test yourself.”

Toronto improved its defence corps with the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Tampa Bay made a calculated bet that Jake Guentzel would constitute an upgrade on Steven Stamkos, Detroit added Cam Talbot to solidify its goaltending, while Buffalo, Montreal and Ottawa are all expected to have some internal growth from its respective young cores. Boston remains in a cap bind with Swayman, but if he’s signed, perhaps Barkov’s statement remains completely true.

It’s the toughest division in hockey and this year ought to be no different. Is there a chance for the Atlantic Division to secure both wild-card spots? It’s certainly in play, as the Maple Leafs try to knock the Panthers off their throne and win the first seed during the regular season.