Bruins extend GM Don Sweeney, but string of poor personnel, coaching decisions suggest change was needed

The Boston Bruins have signed Director General Don Sweeney in an extension of a two-year contract that holds him in place until 2027-28, announced the team on Tuesday. This extension comes to the heels of the lack of playoffs for the first time since 2016, and Sweeney will face hard questions while trying to re -list.

In the official team announcementBruins’ president Cam NELEly said that Sweeney has “sailed for a disappointing period for our club with conviction, purpose and a clear view towards the future of Boston Bruins”.

Generally, Sweeney’s curriculum, as the GM in Boston is quite impressive and seems to indicate that it is able to turn things around. The franchise has a record of 458-233-91 under its orientation, and built a team that went to the 2019 Stanley Cup finals, which earned him GM of the year.

However, Sweeney’s recent decision making is a great reason why Bruins are sailing for this “disappointing period”. You can start looking behind the bench.

Coaching carousel

In 2022, after a 107 -point season and a first -round playoff loss against Carolina’s hurricanes, Sweeney fired coach Bruce Cassidy. Almost a year later, Cassidy lifted the Stanley Cup as coach of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The blow to lose Cassidy softened because Sweeney landed in Jim Montgomery as a replacement. In his first year at work, Montgomery brought Boston to the largest regular season of Nhl Historyia before leaving the second round in the Panthers of Florida.

Two years later, with a less talented list in front of him, Montgomery was fired after only 20 games.

The Blues de Sant Lluís collected Montgomery almost immediately, and orchestrated a dramatic change that caused the team to reach the playoffs with the strength of a 38-18-7 race.

Poor staff decisions

In addition to his impatience with coaches, Sweeney has not been able to push the right buttons to the player’s staff. Many of his movements have not come out for the last two years:

Lindholm and Zadorov were two of the most disappointing free acquisitions of free agents last season, and Swayman could not play expectations after very public and slightly controversial contract negotiations. In the meantime, Ullmark prospered as the new number 1 for senators.

Some of the other movements can be explained as a GM trying to push their chips while the window of the team’s championship was still open, but most fell. Bertuzzi played well in Boston, but this was a high price to pay a rent and a second round playoff departure.

Similarly, Orlov and Hathaway were excellent players on their brief clues with the Bruins, but did not make the type of impact that justifies the sending of a capital head load in the other way.

Explaining his decision to extend Sweeney, Neely noted some of the “difficult decisions” that Sweeney made around the commercial term as indicators that the change is achieved. Above all, Captain Brad Marchand was marketed in the Panthers, and Brandon Carlo Blue Brandon Carlo was sent to the leaves of Toronto Maple.

These movements indicate a retouching for bruins, but is Sweeney the person who should supervise this project? Recent history suggests that Boston would have been better to go in a different direction.