The Boston Bruins have a pivotal offseason coming up as they try to fix their roster and get back in the playoff mix after a horrendous 2024-25 campaign that saw the franchise miss the postseason for the first time since 2015-16.
And they are entrusting general manager Don Sweeney to lead them back to prominence.
The Bruins announced Tuesday a two-year extension for Sweeney. His current contract was set to expire after next season, so this extension keeps him under contract through 2027-28.
Sweeney took over as Bruins GM in 2015, and his tenure has been controversial to say the least. The team has been quite competitive during this run, including eight playoff appearances, reaching Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and having the most successful regular season in league history in 2022-23.
But his tenure also has been filled with plenty of disappointment. Despite having some very good teams, the Bruins have advanced past the second round only once since he became general manager. This run also includes a couple first-round exits and last season’s disaster. He also has fired three different head coaches, including two — Bruce Cassidy and Jim Montgomery — who have had success after leaving Boston. The B’s next coach will be the fourth of Sweeney’s tenure (the third he has hired).
Boston’s drafting and development has been mostly lackluster under Sweeney’s leadership, too. The Bruins haven’t drafted an impact player since taking Jeremy Swayman in the fourth round in 2017. The last forward they drafted who scored 20 goals in a season was Jake DeBrusk (first round, 2015), and he’s no longer on the team. There was very little accountability from Sweeney and team president Cam Neely when asked about their drafting and developing during the end-of-season press conference in April.
So, why is Sweeney getting rewarded with a contract extension?
You have to think that ownership believes Sweeney is the right person to get the franchise back on track. This Neely quote from the Sweeney extension press release hints at that.
“Don has navigated a disappointing period for our club with conviction, purpose, and a clear vision toward the future of the Boston Bruins,” Neely said. “He made difficult decisions around the trade deadline with the confidence they will pay dividends as we craft a path back to contention. He is continuing to follow that track with a robust and thorough search for our club’s next head coach, while also…