Boston Bruins EXTEND GM Don Sweeney – But the PRESSURE Is Still On

Boston Bruins EXTEND GM Don Sweeney – But the PRESSURE Is Still On

Don Sweeney just got a two-year contract extension from the Boston Bruins. And whether you love him or hate him, one thing is clear. The pressure is still very much on. You’re Locked on Bruins, your daily podcast on the Boston Bruins, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. What is up Bruins fans and welcome back to the Locked On Boston Bruins podcast. I’m your host Ian McLaren and this is a daily show where we discuss all things spoke beat. Today is Tuesday, May 20th. Thank you so much for making Lockdown Bruins part of your daily routine. It’s available on your favorite podcast app and on YouTube and it’s part of the Lockdown podcast network your team every day. Today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL atmonarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. Now, I had a whole episode mapped out here this morning, and lo and behold, the Boston Bruins dropped the news that Don Sweeney has been given a 2-year contract extension through 2027 28. It’s a move that signals stability at the top, but also a stubborn commitment to a vision that has yet to deliver a Stanley Cup. We’re going to break it down here on today’s episode. Why a deal was important right now, how the deadline was a good start for Sweeney, but how he still has to really nail this off season. Before we get into all that, a quick reminder. You can find the podcast on social media, locked NHL Bruins. You can find me, my hockey thoughts, dad jokes at ENC McLaren. I am a lifelong Boston Bruins fan. I’ve been covering this team and the NHL for various outlets for about 20 years now. And this morning, the Bruins announcing that general manager Don Sweeney has been signed to a 2-year contract extension through the 202728 season. Why now is the big question that is coming up. And we know that he had one year remaining on his deal. And Cam Neely said an extension for Don Sweeney was on his radar and it was seemingly contingent on what he was able to do this summer. We’ll discuss in a bit how the trade deadline was a very good start in terms of retooling for next season, but there were some real questions about signings Don Sweeney made last summer not quite panning out, about the trade to the Florida Panthers of Brad Marshand and how disappointing that was for fans and just all kinds of moves that have not panned out for him over the course of his tenure. Now, he has taken the Bruins to a Stanley Cup final in 2019, built the winningest team in NHL regular season history back in 2022 23, but he’s also fired a couple coaches and gone through two very prominent head coaches over the past few years. And that’s maybe why this announcement is being made today. There have been reports out there that high-profile head coach candidates like Rick Tockett, Mike Sullivan were reluctant to really entertain the Bruins because of that seeming instability at the general manager position. If you have a guy who’s entering the final year of his contract and may or may not be here long term, then you’re reluctant to sign on because we all know that sometimes a new general manager comes in or even a new team president comes in and will want to kind of put their mark on things and restructure the whole operation. So, say a new head coach came in this summer, Don Sweeney was replaced, maybe the Jacobs family just wipes out the whole hockey operations department. Where does that leave that head coach kind of hanging in the wind, unless whoever comes in believes in what they’re able to do. So, that could very much be the reason why Don Sweeney was extended. right now they have to find the best possible candidate as head coach and and you can wonder whether or Sullivan is that guy. I I don’t necessarily buy into that. I think there are other options out there like Amisha Donskov the Dallas Stars who I’ve talked about um ad nauseium in his statement about the extension. Cam Neily said, “Don has navigated a disappointing period for our club with conviction, purpose, and a clear vision toward the future of the Boston Bruins. He made difficult decisions around the trade deadline with the confidence they will pay dividends as we craft a path back to contention.” He’s also continuing to follow that track with a robust and thorough search for our club’s next head coach, while also preparing for the upcoming NHL draft and free agent signing period. I’m confident in the plan he has followed these past few months and excited for what’s to come for our team. The expectations in Boston have always been clear. It’s about winning championships. The Bruins, sorry, end quote. The Bruins were very far from championship contention this season, finishing with the fifth best odds of winning a Stanley Cup or sorry, winning the NHL draft lottery where they ended up with the seventh overall pick. Yes, this past season was incredibly disappointing. They went from the winningest team in NHL history to a pretty successful transition year where they beat the Toronto Maple Leafs just last summer to a very bad, awful, no good, terrible 2024 25. And that’s very much on Don Sweeney. those signings he made um last summer didn’t pay off early on. The trade of Lenus Allar without having Jeremy Swayman wrapped up was a big oof. Um prioritizing team defense and bulk over scoring and speed was a big miss. and also of course not being able to come to an agreement with Jim Montgomery and firing him before giving him a contract extension. Um those are all mistakes and are on him. But having said that, I look at the trade deadline and the work that he did there and think, yeah, that’s some real positives to build on. You got second round pick for Trent Frederick shed Max Jones’s contract. You get Fraser Minton and a first round pick from the Toronto Maple Leafs for Brandon Carlo. You got Jacob Lovback and Morat Hust Nudinov for Justin Brazo. And yes, unpopular to trade Brad Marshon, but you still are on the verge of getting a first round pick in 2027 for someone who doesn’t seem like he was going to be coming back. You can argue whether or not they should have opened up the purse strengths to have him back, but you look at what Patrice Berseron signed for in his later seasons and wonder, well, should they be giving Brad Marshon 67 million a year at this stage in his career? Probably not. Mitch Martner is going to walk from the Maple Leafs probably and they’re going to get nothing. Jake De Brrisk left last summer. The Bruins got nothing. So getting probably a first for Brad Marshon, not bad. Casey Middlestat and a top prospect for Charlie Coyle from the Colorado Avalanche. Those are all very good moves. Any other GM in any other market would be lauded for those moves. I understand that people are disappointed, upset, not really trusting Don Sweeney to get the job done. And you could very much argue that this is stubbornness on the part of the Bruins. And while they’re pumping the tires on vision moving forward evolution when it comes to the coach, if you stick still with Don Sweeney, Cam Neil, you’re just going to get the same old. But the same old has included a trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The same old has included winning seasons. the same old has included uh putting together the best regular season team in NHL history. Yes, they blew it in the game seven against St. Louis. They blew it in game seven against the Panthers. But you could argue, especially in 2023, that Don Sweeney did everything he could and more so to make sure that team succeeded, except for maybe giving Bruce Cassidy one more year, but perhaps they wouldn’t have gotten that far without him and the roster wouldn’t have been the same. The Bruins are sticking with Don Sweeney. Uh, the pressure is still very much on though, extending the GM after missing the playoffs after an early or a second round exit last year, first round exit the year before. It’s not based on past success. It’s about belief in a very specific future. And the pressure is still very much on because Cam Neely said it in his statement. There’s still a lot of work to do. And if Don Sweeney doesn’t hit on those, then both he and Cam Neely could remain very much on the hot seat. And coming up here on the podcast, we’ll discuss the next moves that will define Don Sweeny’s new era. will define whether or not his legacy can be uh revitalized here in Boston based on what he does next. And we’ll touch on all that here as the podcast continues. Ever check your bank account and wonder where did all my money go? Between dining out, online shopping, and entertainment, it’s very easy to lose track. And that’s where Monarch Money comes in. your personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money isn’t just a budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. You can track all your accounts, investments, spending in one place, so you stop just managing your money and start building wealth. When we started using Monarch, realized just how much money we were spending on coffee, Starbucks, Tim Hortons. Now I budget smarter and save more. Managing money with your partner is smoother than ever. You can track shared and personal accounts, set goals, and stay on the same page without the stress. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That’s monarchmoney.com. Code lockdown NHL for half off your first year. All right, Bruins fans. Don Sweeney has been extended for two seasons. He had one year remaining on his contract, and that was going to be a pretty decisive year in terms of whether or not he was going to stick around long term. He’s done some great work at the trade deadline, whether you want to admit it or not. He’s also put the Bruins in position to have been a very high percentage of getting the first overall pick. They failed in 2023, failed in 2019, and there’s every reason to question whether he should be getting extended after this team missed the playoffs. The reality is they needed some stability in order to attract a head coach, which is one of the biggest priorities on Sweeny’s to-do list this summer. Now, is it stubbornness? A little bit. Like, let’s be honest, there could very much be a case made for uh the Bruins to have just said, “Okay, Don, sorry, we missed the playoffs. You’re gone. Somebody else will take over from here.” But as I said, the moves at the trade deadline, you look at them without the blinder or with blinders on, without all the past history, the 2015 draft, whatever. You look at what he did at the trade deadline just in that frame. Incredibly solid work. All right, you can’t deny that. You’ll say, “Oh, well, they got draft picks. They’ll just muff it up. Anyways, they’ve made some pretty good draft picks along the way. Makavoy, sway it. Um, so giving him a contract extension. Yeah, there’s a bit of stubbornness there, but it’s also smart at this time because of course they need to find a the right head coach. And there have been those reports out there that without that stability, candidates may not choose to sign with the Bruins. He also has to hit at the draft. You have a seventh overall pick. Plenty of high quality options. No reaching, no getting cute with it. Just take the best available player. There’s also free agency coming up and he could be very aggressive on July 1st with a lot of cap space available depending on how much they sign their own RFAS UFAS too. They can go out there and reel in a pretty big fish like a Mitch Martner or a Nikolai Eelers or a Brock Besser. The extension signals trust, but there’s also pressure to turn things around very quickly. There’s not that rope to say, well, you know, this was a blip. Um, we can go through another couple years like this and it’ll be fine. No, this team under Don Sweeney has been a playoff team, a very competitive team, one of the I think they had the best regular season record in the NHL over the course of his tenure. You you can’t deny those numbers. Yes, they haven’t succeeded in the playoffs. Such a crapshoot in the playoffs as we’ve seen. Um, the Toronto Maple Leafs so well uh set up for regular season success, but for the life of them can’t win in the playoffs. Um, same with the Bruins. They get to a game seven in 2019. They get to um game seven against the Florida Panthers with one of the best regular season teams in NHL history. Sweeny’s been to a cup final, built that team in 2023, one GM of the year, multiple 100point teams, all that success, there is no cup and that is what really burns Bruins Fran fans britches and understandably. So the pressure is still very much on and he has to has to has to hit at the coach. Give me a Misha Donskov, maybe even a Jeff Halpern or uh Mitch Love, somebody exciting like that. It can’t be a retread if you’re going to bring Don Sweeney back and stick to that stubborn position that we know best. This is the right way to go. You have to bring in someone who can evolve with this team and deliver on that vision to win a Stanley Cup. Cam Neely laid it out in his statement. Uh he made some moves at the deadline that inspire confidence that will pay dividends as they craft a path back to contention. He brought in multiple high picks. He brought in Casey Middlestat who’s got a high ceiling. They brought in Hudinov, Jacob Blackcoback, Fraser Minton. Uh, and a first for Brandon Carlo, a first coming up in a couple years. You have some guys in the AHL who hopefully can contribute, but you have to hit on the club’s next head coach, also hit at the NHL draft and the free agent signing period. For his part, Sweeney said, I’m very appreciative to the entire Jacobs family and to Cam Neely for their continued trust and support. It’s an honor to be part of a franchise with such a storied history and passionate fan base. Fully understand and embrace the responsibility that comes with this role. Fans have high expectations for this team and so do I. The collective goal is to build a team that makes Bruins fans proud and ultimately brings another Stanley Cup back to Boston. End quote. I really do think that Sweeney and we as fans share that same goal. Now, Sweeney is not out here not wanting to win. He’s not out here wanting his legacy to be those losses 2019 2023. He doesn’t want that to be what he’s remembered for. He wants to be remembered for a guy who brought another Stanley Cup back to Boston. And you can very much argue that he’s not the guy to do it or that he inherited a core that carried the Bruins to success and hasn’t done much to build the next core. But they have Jeremy Swim, Charlie Makavoy, those are guys that most teams around the NHL would covet and that he brought in, right? Uh Elias Lynhome, Nikita Zidorov did look much better late in the season. And today I was going to talk about how Elias Lynhome is along with David Posnock one of the top scorers at the World Championships right now. More points than or same points as Sydney Crosby more than Nathan McKinn. You don’t give a GM a two-year extension if you’re not buying into his vision and not kind of looking at the positives from what he has done. They trust Sweeney to guide this franchise into its next era. You should expect some bumps post Berseron, postr Marshon. They got very worse after the trade deadline and that of course Marshon was injured at that time. But all three of those guys are gone and it’s not just on Sweeney to take up the mantle, but it’s on the players as well. And there are some highquality players on this roster that it’s incumbent on them to also take up the mantle in this post old core era and define the identity of this team for the next decade. Uh Cam Ney said it himself, conviction, purpose, a clear vision towards the future. That’s executive speak for we’re rebuilding but we’re doing it our way. And while Sweeny’s leash got a bit longer, Bruins fans are not as gracious and there’s still a lot of pressure on him to get the job done. Um, and they’re going to be as aggressive as they can to turn around that public sentiment. Right now, it’s low. People are questioning why Don Sweeney, why are they extending him after missing the playoffs? Why are they giving him another opportunity to turn this team around? Um, he’s not getting extended for Standing Pat, though. The Bruins are back in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Eastern Conference Finals over the course of the next three years. This extension will look very positive, but if they falter, this could end up as the Bruins doubling down on a vision that never fully materializes. It’s not just an extension, it’s a declaration. The Bruins are all in on Sweeny’s next big bet, and he better hit that jackpot. The deadline was a good start, but he has to has to hit on the next little pieces here. And uh we’ll touch on how things are looking after the Florida Panthers took out the Toronto Maple Leafs on the verge of getting another piece here as the podcast continues. All right, so Don Sweeny’s around for a couple more years. Trading Brad Marshon to the Florida Panthers was incredibly unpopular, but the Bruins are closer to getting a first round pick after Brad Marshon was arguably the best player for the Panthers in a game seven win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. And um the Bruins are now on the cusp of securing a future first round pick from the Panthers as a result of that trade deadline deal. You could argue they should have kept him. They should have done everything they could to make Marshon a Bruin for life, but that’s not the way it always works. Zado Char wasn’t a Bruin for life. Joe Thornton wasn’t a Bruin for life. Ray Bour wasn’t a Bruin for life to name a few former captains. Berseron could have been he went out on his own terms, but he also took some smaller deals near the end to make it possible. Um, now the only remaining requirement is for Marshon to appear in half of Florida’s playoff games. They can play a maximum of 26. Marshon’s played in 12, so he just needs to suit up for game one of the Eastern Converse Finals to officially lock in that first round pick. The only other caveat there is according to Puckedia, the 2027 first round pick is top 10 protected, which means it will become a 2028 pick if the Panthers bottom out in 2026 27. So the total hall from March, the trade deadline is this. a 2025 second round pick from Edmonton, 2025 second round pick from Colorado, 2025 fourth round pick from Toronto, a top five protected 2026 first round pick, uh sixth round pick in 2026, 2027 first round pick, Casey Middlestat, Fraser Minton, Will Zeers, Jacob Lco, Moratus, Snoot, then a couple of defensive prospects that pretty solid work to build on. The Bruins also added a pretty highly toted goalender over the weekend and um that could be a signal a that they may be looking to trade Unis Corpalo over the summer and promote Michael Dpietro who is an unrestricted free agent or it’s just hedging in the case that DPro and Brandon Busussy who are unrestricted free agents sign elsewhere. Uh the goalender’s name is Simon Zichek. He’s 23. Appeared in 29 games for HC Litva over in Czecha this past season. 1513 and0 with a 930 save percentage. Uh so very good numbers there and perhaps the guy that uh the Bruins can use in the AHL this coming season or um yeah probably not NHL this coming season but a guy who can fill in if DPro is indeed promoted or if they are uh if they are gone DPro and Booy. So all that to say with Lend Holm excelling at the World Championships with that 2021st 2027 first round pick all but locked in for the Bruins. Things are looking okay. It was a good weekend for the Bruins in that respect. Now ressigning Don Sweeney. you know, people are not super happy about it or they’re down on Sweeney for sure. Uh, but you can’t argue with the fact that he has had some good seasons with the Bruins. They have the best record in the NHL during his tenure. They don’t have a cup and that is uh what is making people the most angry. They don’t have that surefire center to come and fill in after Berseron after cr. But you look at even what he did last season in the transition year like the Bruins did pretty well there. The decision to extend Don Sweeney for two more years is more than just a routine front office move. It’s an endorsement of his vision for the franchise despite recent playoff disappointments and an ongoing transition away from the Berseron era. They’re doubling down on Sweeny’s retool not rebuild approach. You can’t look at this team and not have expected a bit of a dip after Berseron retired. They didn’t get that last season. Somehow they experienced it this season. Elias Lindholm was not Patrice Berseron. And here we are with this extension ownership. Cam Neely signaling stability at the top, trusting that Sweeny’s TR tough trade deadline decisions and up coaching upcoming coaching hire will pave the way for a return to true contention. But make no mistake, this is a high stakes commitment. Bruins fans, myself included, aren’t interested in President’s trophies. We want another Stanley Cup. With cap space to spend, key contracts looming, and an aging core, Sweeney has a bit more rope, but also some pressure to prove that his vision can finally deliver more than just regular season dominance. The leash just got longer, but the expectations also just got much heavier. Um, the deadline though, I believe is what got him extended. I get it’s an unpopular opinion, but you can’t look at what Sweeney did at the deadline and think he should get fired. They should have fired him along with Jim Montgomery early on this season then. Uh, the deadline was a hit. Prospective coaches need to know that there is some modicum of stability here. And you look at again what he did at the deadline. That’s a good start to getting back to where this team needs to be. That’s my take on the Don Sweeney extension. Please let me know how you feel by dropping a comment on YouTube, hitting me up on social media, locked NHL Bruins on X, Instagram, even Tik Tok, Blue Sky McLaren on Blue Sky and Instagram. I’d love to hear what you think and we’ll continue to break it all down here in the upcoming episodes of Lockdown Boston Bruins. A reminder, we’re daily through like the first week of free agency. So, you’re going to want to subscribe and check out all the uh hot takes coming up on this team. Thank you for making Locked on Bruins your first listen today. For your second listen, check out all the new Locked On game night episodes. every game, every night until a Stanley Cup champion is crowned. Get local analysis on a national scale. Find NHL Game Night on Locked on NHL on YouTube, wherever you listen to podcasts. It’s all part of the Locked On podcast network, your favorite team every single day. Please do take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and we’ll talk to you again on the next episode of Locked On Boston Bruins.

Don Sweeney’s two-year contract extension with the Boston Bruins sparks debate among fans. The podcast explores the reasoning behind the decision, highlighting Sweeney’s successful trade deadline moves and the need for stability to attract a new head coach. Despite missing the playoffs, Sweeney’s tenure has seen regular-season success and a Stanley Cup Final appearance. The extension comes with heightened expectations and pressure to build a contender. Key priorities include hiring the right coach, drafting wisely with the seventh overall pick, and navigating free agency. The podcast also touches on Brad Marchand’s impact with the Florida Panthers and the potential first-round pick coming Boston’s way as a result of that trade.

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