The Boston Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney have put pen to paper and agreed on a new two-year deal to keep him in Boston until the 2027-28 season. Sweeney was named to the position in 2015-16 and has served as the general manager for the last 10 years.
Sweeney was the recipient of the NHL General Manager of the Year award for the 2018-19 season and also served as GM for Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Now, he's facing some of his biggest challenges yet as he continues his job as the head of the Bruins franchise.
Bruins, Sweeney have work to do
Life has not been easy this season for the Bruins or Sweeney. Boston arguably had its worst season in quite some time this year, finishing with a 33-39-10 record and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.
Over the past calendar year, Sweeney has traded goaltender Linus Ullmark (Ottawa Senators), forward Trent Frederick (Edmonton Oilers), defenseman Brandon Carlo (Toronto Maple Leafs), forward Charlie Coyle (Colorado Avalanche), and captain Brad Marchand (Florida Panthers). That is a lot of key pieces that have brought Boston success over the years gone. These moves left the Boston faithful stunned and wondering what was going on. Boston was now in full rebuild mode.
The Bruins will have some roster changes during the offseason, but who is going and who is staying? Boston is projected to have $30 million in cap space along with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Sweeney will have some down time this summer to not only look at the Bruins roster and what changes could be made, but also look for a new head coach. Some candidates that could be behind the Boston bench next season include Jeff Blashill, Marco Sturm, Jay Woodcroft, and Mitch Love.
What is next for Boston?
Sweeney has his work cut out for him but will this be a full rebuild or a rebuild on the fly? After the changes were made at the 2025 trade deadline, the Bruins played decent hockey considering what they had in the lineup.
It was not enough to get them into the playoffs, but it had fans holding on to hope for the future. It will be interesting to see what Sweeney does this offseason and how he will approach the roster and interviews for a new head coach.
On a personal note, Sweeney was selected to serve as assistant GM for Team Canada at the 2026 Olympic Games in MIlan, Italy. He is not a stranger to being assigned as a general manager for international play either. While he would love to win a gold medal next year, another Stanley Cup is his ultimate goal.