For better or worse, Bruins are trusting Sweeney to get franchise back on track originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

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 preparing for the upcoming NHL Draft and free agent signing period.

“I am 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.”

Sweeney did a great job at the trade deadline in March. He dealt away several veteran players, including captain Brad Marchand, and accumulated lots of valuable draft picks and some good prospects as a result of those moves. The Brandon Carlo trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Charlie Coyle trade with the Colorado Avalanche were particularly good.

When the Marchand trade completes Tuesday, the Bruins will have five first-round picks and four second-round selections over the next three drafts.

If the Bruins want to retool their roster and become a threat to win the Eastern Conference as early as next season, the trade market is probably their best route to achieve that objective. The free agent market is not very robust this summer — only a couple true difference-makers could be available.

And now that the Bruins have lots of draft picks and more prospects, they have the ammo to make deals to upgrade their roster — especially in the top-six forward group — should any impact players be available in the coming months.

Trades are the area Sweeney excels at the most. His trade record is very strong. So if the Bruins think the trade market is how they will largely fix the roster, Sweeney would be the guy for the job.

But his struggles in free agency and the draft should concern Bruins fans.

Sweeney has made a couple nice low-cost free agent signings in recent years, with Morgan Geekie being the best and latest example. But his larger free agent acquisitions — Matt Beleskey, David Backes, Elias Lindholm, etc. — have not been very good. The Backes and Beleskey deals were a disaster.

For better or worse, the Bruins are relying on Sweeney to get the franchise back to contender status. He has shown the ability to construct strong teams throughout his tenure, but his current challenge — one he largely created due to bad roster moves — is by far his toughest yet.

He has to make moves to be competitive in the short term while simultaneously setting up the franchise for future success, including a crucial 2025 draft in which the B’s own the No. 7 pick (their highest first-rounder since 2011).