The Bruins Extend GM Don Sweeney On 2-Year Deal

The Bruins Extend GM Don Sweeney On 2-Year Deal

We get an update that Don Sweeney catches a two-year extension and will be remaining in Boston. So, now it’s time to move forward and figure out who the next head coach of the Boston Bruins will be. But, as we mentioned in trending now that this news is solidified, what did you make of it? You were around the team all season long. How does it help to just kind of have that question mark off the back of the shoulder and be able to kind of focus forward? Yeah. Well, first of all, I expected it, right? I mean, it didn’t seem like that they were going to part ways, right? and and you just have to go back to the trade deadline uh to answer that question because again a general manager who has uh you know the green light to trade all those veteran players including Brad Marshian your captain is obviously a part of this thing moving forward. So that was uh you know that question I think was had had been answered earlier but in terms of moving forward and I talked about this earlier in trending. This is a huge off season for Don Sweeney and the Bruins. Uh because of the fact that you have the number seven overall pick, right? But before that, you got to find a new head coach uh to lead this team. And you have to find a head coach who, you know, has the ability to coach, you know, your existing veteran players, your stars, your Charlie Makavoys, your David Postronox, your Jeremy Swayman’s, you know, some of the other veterans that you have in. uh but also cultivate some of the young talent as well because we’re talking about a Bruins team going into next year that has a number of players who don’t have a lot of NHL experience. At least as we speak right now, there are a lot of players, you know, that we saw towards the end of the season, uh who don’t have a lot of NHL experience under their belt and who are probably going to play roles, at least a few of them, uh next year. So, uh you need to find a balance with that. Now, there are a couple of head coaches uh that are off the board and and Rick Tocket obviously being the latest one. It seems at this point that the Bruins are are are targeting uh you know, maybe an assistant coach uh a current assistant coach on a staff that could still be playing uh in the postseason. So, uh you know, that’s yet to be determined, but yeah, this is a huge offseason for the Bruins in more ways than one. And really, you know, in a lot of ways, not uncharted territory, but it’s been a long time uh since they’ve had an offseason like that. this with a high draft pick and uh some questions moving forward. All right. Well, maybe we can get a little bit more insight. We’re going to bring in Andrew Raycrooft as promised to come chat with Adam Pellerin and myself. Good morning. It’s weird calling you Andrew. I was about to be like, “Good morning, Andrew. What’s up, Razer? How’s it going?” What’s up? Morning. You can call me basically whatever you want. Um I will except Andy. My mom did not like Andy, so I won’t I won’t answer to that. Uh great. Hopefully you guys are well. Oh yeah, we’re we’re solid. Except for the fact that Boston decided to go back to winter, but that’s a conversation I’ll bore you with another day and another. The golf game is not going to be enjoyable today. Way too cold for golf. Way too cold. I haven’t even made it back to the golf course since August. But, uh, we got some news for the Bruins. Uh, Don Sweeney gets that 2-year extension. And of course, we just wanted to get your take on it, what this can mean to help answer some questions moving forward because at the end of the day, um, you know, Adam kind of already said it, heading into a different off season, expectations are high, but there’s a lot of moving pieces that we got to get solidified. There are. And and that’s why you see the extension come down, I guess, at this point. I I don’t think, you know, I I listen, Don’s for the the lack of playoff this year, uh I think everyone around the hockey world sees how hard Don works and what a great job Don has done over the last 10 years. So, I I don’t think he was going anywhere. But I when you are on your last year of the deal, this this extension needs to just come out as news and and solidify his job and um and the decisions that he’s made, not only going over this summer, but just the ones that he made over the deadline. I mean, what a what an overhaul to to to get rid of the captain and and Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo and Trent Frederick, pieces that have been here for a long time. So to make those decisions plus the decisions at the draft plus the decisions on a head coach, uh I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to have some um some some confidence in behind that with a two-year extension. Razer, as uh you know, we get further into By the way, hi buddy. It’s good to see you. What’s up? That was like all business there for a second. I know. like Casey said hello and you know I kind of sat here and listened and then I realized I didn’t say hi to my hockeyy’s bean pot buddies. So um hey I wanted to say hi but start preparing now. You got to start preparing now. February 5th’s right around the corner. I got BU and BC notes right here buddy. I’m ready to know 2026 is going to be here before you know it. Um you know the the further this this goes along Razer into the off season. you know, is the belief that, you know, the the the head coach that the Bruins are targeting is is is probably currently uh in the playoffs right now on a on a bench somewhere. Yeah. and and whether that’s the AHL, whether that’s the NHL, like you mentioned, an assistant coach. The other thing that I would add to that is there is a possibility that there the guy that they they end up with is not on a bench right now, but they need to talk to the guys that are on the bench. So, so that’s like the one caveat is they could end up hiring somebody, but they want to make sure with whoever else that is still involved in playoff time. And again, that could be the AHL, it could be the NHL. Um, so the other thing too to add to that is Mike Sullivan off the board right away. The Rangers, Rick Talk off the board, Adam Foot goes to Vancouver because he’s in house. They knew they wanted that guy. Seattle doesn’t have a coach yet. Um, so there there’s still some moving pieces. It’s not like it’s just the Bruins couldn’t get a coach and now they have to wait. I think they’ve decided early in this process to to lock in, take their time, wait till the dust settles of the whole entire playoffs and then make the decision from there. So they they weren’t going against Joel Quenville, they weren’t going for Rick Tocket, they weren’t going for Mike Sullivan. So they had the opportunity to wait and and from all accounts, they’ve interviewed many many people. Yeah. Elliot Friedman said like roughly 15 guys have gone through the interview process with the Bruins. But before we ask maybe any front runners that come to mind for you, I think the most important thing is characteristic fit. What do you think um are some of the key things that the next Bruins head coach will have to need or have characteristically in order to kind of move forward with the group of blended veterans and new guys that’ll be coming into the mix? Well, I’m I’m not so I’m not sure namewise. I I don’t have any front runners. I’ve kind of heard all the names that everyone else has that’s been out there. Um, and and that kind of goes as well to to what they want. I my only assumption is, and I don’t I again I haven’t had a lot of conversation on this, but the assumption is with the fact they didn’t go with a Sullivan, they didn’t go with a talk, is that they’re looking for a guy who is development focused, whether, you know, a younger guy, an upstart guy along the lines of Jim Montgomery. um again that he was a guy of course he he did coach in the NHL for a year and a half but he was a he was a college coach prior to that and then um rebuilding his name and his brand and and so I I look at it just kind of reading between the lines I suppose with with the 15 interviews that you just mentioned Casey with the fact they didn’t go big with the three big names that were on the boardwalk Sullivan that they’re looking for a guy a little bit of a fresh voice in the league, uh, different ideas, and one who’s going to be focused on development, focused on skill. With that said, Razer, obviously the front office is going to have the final say, but, you know, because you mentioned the word development and you have, you know, young players that are probably going to be on this roster next season that don’t have a whole hell of a lot of NHL experience, but you still have, you know, the Charlie Makavoys, the David Postnox, some of the other veterans who are in the room. you know, are these not that they they need a seal of approval from those players, but are they consulted about this kind of thing? Is there is there a constant take us behind the scenes? Is there a constant dialogue? No. No, there isn’t. It it seems that it’s it’s kind of a and it’s a good question, Adam, because I see it all the time in in that well, like in Pittsburgh, they don’t have a coach. Well, Sydney Crosby, he’s going to be the one. No, they went and asked Sid in World Championship. Like, I don’t do that. Um it it’s it would be it would be fascinating to people how little these guys have and and want to be involved. They don’t want to be involved. I think that’s that’s the huge difference. Um and we see it in different sports where you hear a lot about the quarterback, you hear a lot about the the point the best player on a basketball team influencing who the coach is going to be and it should be this kind of a person. the hockey guys, especially the stars, they don’t want anything to do with that. They they don’t want to be coaches. They don’t want that responsibility. And I think it would be surprising to people how little they actually are involved. They they they they stay out of it, you know, on purpose. They’re they’re players, the coach is the coach. They tell them what to do and they go out and do it. And that’s that’s where it where it ends. So, from all of my experience, I’ve never had a player get involved with a coaching hire in any way whatsoever. Of course, there’ll be a conversation like, “Do you know this guy? What have you heard of this guy? What are the players saying of this, this, and this guy?” But it won’t be just one specific guy either. It’ll be the the 15 guys. You you’re probably going to, you know, shake the tree on all 15 of those guys with certain players. So, guys, don’t get involved. David Pasternac, Charlie Makavoy are not sitting in an interview room doing dealing with the process. Uh and and at the end of the day, you look at, you know, the Washington model where uh he they’re the that’s the easiest one, I guess, with with Carbury coming in, uh he’s blended both the young and the old that seems to be the teams that are in the Bruins situation that are trying to to retool this thing on the fly, are looking for a guy like that who can connect with both the young guys, but also give the older guys um a new voice, uh maybe a few new tricks, but a lot of rope to do their I actually love that you asked that question because that’s what you hear the most is like the players are going to make the final decision and of course and I’ve seen the Cindy Crosby uh conversation on Twitter a lot as well. Kind of speaking to that though, uh you would think that they just kind of want to focus on the role ahead and some of these guys are probably going to have a new leadership role ahead. We’ve heard some different opinions on who the potential new captain can be. I think that you’ve already spoke to it a little bit, but if you had to make a decision, where would you gravitate towards in terms of somebody who can probably step up vocalitywise and leadership-wise and maybe represent that se in the upcoming season? Well, it’s David Pastor Charlie Makavoy. I’m curious if they do go with again that that’ll all kind of fall into place after a coach. That again is another thing that’s that’s the coach’s decision along with the general manager and and probably even Cam Neely to to have a discussion on which way they want to go with the leadership. Do they want to hand a seat out this summer? Do they want to wait and have everybody in house with a few assistant captains and and go from there? That’ll be a discussion when they do have a coach. But from my vantage point, it’s David or it’s Charlie and and they um they both have qualities that and and personalities that fit differently. So again, it comes down to to preference, I suppose. I’ve always thought a Boston Bruin captain is a a defenseman. Uh whether that’s Ray Bourke, Charlie Zado, Bobby or I I have that vision in my head with Charlie Makavoy. Um, and I would have said that prior to last season, but the way David Pasternak handled himself without Charlie Makavoy after the deadline with Brad Marshon leaving a void and the way David stepped up, I I have no issues with him being the captain either. So, they’re they’re in good hands going forward and and again, it’ll be up to a coach and a general manager on preference, but as we’ve heard over and over and over again, it’s it’s it’s a a group effort leadership wise in that dressing room. and and there’ll be more names than just those two that are involved in in team decisions. I want to ask you about a former captain and Brad Marshian uh currently in the Eastern Conference Finals up one nothing in their series against the Hurricanes. Uh there was some speculation uh that this off season uh Toronto might target Marshian. Can you envision a scenario where Brad Marshian’s a leaf? Oh, I do. I I do. If I if I was in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs, I’ I’d give Brad whatever he wanted. Um to to have him go in there again, that team losing in game seven the way they did. U I would without question seems like Brad would be the ultimate. Um I again I go back I think about 04 and the Red Sox because that that’s the best scenario. That’s the best Kevin Malar a guy that just go keep you know chilling. I don’t care about media. I don’t care about anybody. we’re just gonna go play and and and Brad would be able to handle that as well as anybody. So, if I was in charge of the Maple Leafs, I’d give him whatever he wants. Now, it’s a whole another story whether Brad would actually go there, etc., etc., but there’s certainly a scenario where where Brad would go there and and uh change culture cuz you can see what he’s done with the Florida Panthers. He’s he’s a Hall of Famer. Uh I just saw the stat. 10 years he’s had over 10 points in the playoffs in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He’s up there with like Maurice Rashard, Henry Rashard, John Bello. Like it is uh it’s Hall of Fame stuff and he he’s just proving himself again this year over the first two series and one game that he’s pretty effective. Yeah, it’s clear the impact that he has overall no matter where he goes. It would be weird to see him in Toronto, but you said it depends on the circumstances. Razer, thank you so much for taking the time to wake up and join us here on Boston has entered the chat.

The Bruins have signed General Manager Don Sweeney to a new 2-year contract extension. The team is currently searching for a coach and sitting on five first round picks over the next three NHL Drafts. With Don Sweeney’s extension, Bruins fans can expect his vision to be leading this team into the next era of Bruins hockey. NESN analyst and former Bruin Andrew Raycroft joined Adam Pellerin and Kasey Hudson on Boston Has Entered The Chat to discuss the Bruins plans moving forward.

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