Don Sweeney and the Bruins need to strike a new deal.
The team’s general manager for the last seven years, Sweeney is entering the final days and weeks of his contract, and has yet to come to terms on a new agreement. That’s not by design on the part of the former GM of the Year, of course. Sweeney has made it clear that he wants to remain with the Bruins, and the Bruins finally made it known that they feel the same.
And though the sides have yet to hammer out a new deal, a quick read of the proverbial tea leaves have already confirmed Sweeney is almost certainly returning to the Bruins. They let him trade futures (and sign a pair of players to extensions) at the deadline, and Sweeney was part of the player and coach exit interviews conducted last week. He also signed defenseman Jakub Zboril to a multi-year extension. These are things that could be done organizationally, of course. But at a certain point, you’d think that the keys would have been taken away from Sweeney if he wasn’t going to be driving the bus.
But the forever-restless natives, meanwhile, have made their feelings on Sweeney known. Again and again and again: It’s time for a change. Sweeney’s heard the criticisms, too, and though he doesn’t believe that all of them would file under “constructive,” he is aware of the pressure that comes with the gig.
“I think I’ve been around this town long enough for people to know in terms of pressure and what I’m necessarily going to lump in myself and hold myself hopefully to the standard that is why I’m in this job,” Sweeney said at his year-end media availability last week. “The Jacobs family, the organization, the history of the Boston Bruins, the standard that we’re being held to is exactly what I aspire to. And again, to be perfectly clear and honest, it’s the aspiration to be the best in class, on and off the ice. And when we’re not, we want to hear about it.
“And we stand here today acknowledging we fell short. And that’s on me to try and pull the right strings and hopefully make the right decisions. And that’s part of professional sports, both as a player and management.”
But should Sweeney be the guy to lead the charge as the Bruins enter these potentially strange, strange days?
Well, that depends on what you value.