Bruins announce GM Don Sweeney’s new multi-year contract extension originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
For better or worse, the Don Sweeney era has officially been extended by the Boston Bruins.
Sweeney has signed a multi-year extension as general manager, the team announced Monday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Having had the pleasure of working closely with Don for more than a decade, I’ve seen firsthand his tireless work ethic when it comes to all facets of front office management,” Bruins president Cam Neely said in a press release. “He remains committed to doing whatever it takes to give the Boston Bruins the best chance to win every season. I look forward to continuing to work with Don as we endeavor to bring another championship to this city and our fans.”
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Sweeney took over as general manager of the Bruins in 2015. The Bruins have made the playoffs in six of his seven seasons in charge, including a run to Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. However, that 2019 season was the only time in Sweeney’s tenure that Boston has advanced past the second round.
The Bruins’ drafting under Sweeney has been among the worst in the league, highlighted by the atrocious 2015 NHL Draft when Boston had three consecutive first-round picks and whiffed on two of them, while passing on multiple stars. Free agency has been an area of failure for Sweeney, too. In Sweeney’s defense, his work in the trade market has been pretty strong.
Overall, it was a bold move to re-sign Sweeney and fire head coach Bruce Cassidy last month. Cassidy squeezed a lot of production of a flawed roster, one that Sweeney built.