Management Don Sweeney

[Bruinswillwin77]

I don’t think Connor and Barzal win them a Cup and im not sure why anyone would think that those two are the missing pieces to the Bruins losing in game 7 in 2019 or choking in 2023. My source is watching them play.

Both would have been infinitely better picks than ZS but to put a Cup on them is fantasyland

So what's your point?

 

[UncleRico]

I don’t think Connor and Barzal win them a Cup and im not sure why anyone would think that those two are the missing pieces to the Bruins losing in game 7 in 2019 or choking in 2023. My source is watching them play.

Both would have been infinitely better picks than ZS but to put a Cup on them is fantasyland

Ya I’m sure two young 60+ point players on cheap deals over guys like kuhlman, backes and Wagner would have made no impact.

 

[UncleRico]

Backes is a bit of revisionist history. He had scored 20 goals in his previous 5 full seasons and six out of 7. They didn’t sign some chump. It didn’t work out at all and it was a horrible contract to give out but he was a very highly regarded player when we signed him.

Everything to you is revisionist history or hindsight. You know very well there was a lot of people on these boards saying backes at that age and contract was a terrible deal. He was already showing signs of decline in both his skating and point production. It was a desperation move by Sweeney that didn’t work.

 

[Therick67]

I'm just glad we didn't draft a perennial 30 goal scorer, because then we'd have to pay him..

 

[EverettMike]

I'm just glad we didn't draft a perennial 30 goal scorer, because then we'd have to pay him..

This isn't even the first time people have made such an argument!

 

[Therick67]

This isn't even the first time people have made such an argument!

Seems Donny had the same ideal..

 

[EverettMike]

Seems Donny had the same ideal..

 

[Kegs]

Everything to you is revisionist history or hindsight. You know very well there was a lot of people on these boards saying backes at that age and contract was a terrible deal. He was already showing signs of decline in both his skating and point production. It was a desperation move by Sweeney that didn’t work.

Desperation? What? He signed a banger forward who had a lot of grit. (Backes) how on earth was he desperate? Teams been a president trophy contender every year since he took over as gm no? How on earth does that make it a desperation move?

A good example of a desperation move was chiarelli trading for Brett Connolly. Or Calgary signing kadri for 7 million.

Signing a free agent for a few million dollars is not a desperation move.

I think if they put backes in instead of Khulman they would have won the cup.

 

[BiteThisBurrows]

Backes is a bit of revisionist history. He had scored 20 goals in his previous 5 full seasons and six out of 7. They didn’t sign some chump. It didn’t work out at all and it was a horrible contract to give out but he was a very highly regarded player when we signed him.

But a fading player, not a player in his prime. His illness was not predictable but he was already only half the guy he used to be when we overpaid him.
I mean I get it, on paper Backes looked like a perfect Bruin, but that's a guy 5 years younger than the guy we signed.

I mean really, the point of all this is Sweeney has done good things and bad things. Overall he's done more good than bad so he keeps his job for now. I think putting him at the top (or bottom) is just too extreme.
I think if you rank all GMs over the time period I'm putting McPhee/McCrimmon at the top and maybe Cliff Fletcher at the bottom (although Sabres fans would argue for Terry Murray I think). Sweeney's somewhere in the top third, but not the upper part of that.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

But a fading player, not a player in his prime. His illness was not predictable but he was already only half the guy he used to be when we overpaid him.
I mean I get it, on paper Backes looked like a perfect Bruin, but that's a guy 5 years younger than the guy we signed.

I mean really, the point of all this is Sweeney has done good things and bad things. Overall he's done more good than bad so he keeps his job for now. I think putting him at the top (or bottom) is just too extreme.
I think if you rank all GMs over the time period I'm putting McPhee/McCrimmon at the top and maybe Cliff Fletcher at the bottom (although Sabres fans would argue for Terry Murray I think). Sweeney's somewhere in the top third, but not the upper part of that.

I hated the Backes contract the day they signed it. The point is he wasn’t broken down at that point. The tummy issue just started a snowball.

Before last year no one would have put Vegas at the top. But I get putting them up there now. I’d still have Yzerman at the top even without a cup given what he did. Sweeney is definitely top third but I think he’s more top 6-7.

 

[UncleRico]

Desperation? What? He signed a banger forward who had a lot of grit. (Backes) how on earth was he desperate? Teams been a president trophy contender every year since he took over as gm no? How on earth does that make it a desperation move?

A good example of a desperation move was chiarelli trading for Brett Connolly. Or Calgary signing kadri for 7 million.

Signing a free agent for a few million dollars is not a desperation move.

I think if they put backes in instead of Khulman they would have won the cup.

Backes was clearly declining and approaching the end of his rope. Giving him 5x6 was such an absurdly bad contract. So bad they ended up having to give a team a first round pick a few years later to rid themselves of said contract.

That contract was an abomination.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Backes was clearly declining and approaching the end of his rope. Giving him 5x6 was such an absurdly bad contract. So bad they ended up having to give a team a first round pick a few years later to rid themselves of said contract.

That contract was an abomination.

Backes had 225 hits in the first year of his contract No other forward had 100 hits that season. The B's needed physicality up front. They needed a right wing. He was their 2nd line RW. He really wasn't cooked until after his 2nd season in Boston.

 

[UncleRico]

Backes had 225 hits in the first year of his contract No other forward had 100 hits that season. The B's needed physicality up front. They needed a right wing. He was their 2nd line RW. He really wasn't cooked until after his 2nd season in Boston.

Ya exactly cooked after two years of a 5 year contract. That’s a god awful deal to give out.

 

[Gonzothe7thDman]

Ya exactly cooked after two years of a 5 year contract. That’s a god awful deal to give out.

Yea but who could've known a "power forward" style player would decline in their early to mid 30s?

 

[KillerMillerTime]

Both would have been infinitely better picks than ZS but to put a Cup on them is fantasyland

A lot less of a fantasy than your GIF of a sweep, after G1 in April.

Ok?

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

A lot less of a fantasy than your GIF of a sweep, after G1 in April.

Ok?

Yeah having a little fun is so frowned upon by the internet police. Ok.

 

[BiteThisBurrows]

I hated the Backes contract the day they signed it. The point is he wasn’t broken down at that point. The tummy issue just started a snowball.

Before last year no one would have put Vegas at the top. But I get putting them up there now. I’d still have Yzerman at the top even without a cup given what he did. Sweeney is definitely top third but I think he’s more top 6-7.

Yzerman would be #2 on the list (after Vegas) imo. Sweeney could be 6-7, I'd have to think hard and try to remember everybody else and it's the summer so nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[DKH]

Not the greatest at drafting but man can he ever swing a trade. Only deals that look bad in hindsight are the Kase/Nash deals.

Love the user name - DKH is short for it. I was Don’t Know Hockey from 1998 - 2002 here

Don’t sleep on Poitras and Pelosi

Pelosi a year away from College but already hearing he’s a Natthew Knies type with higher hockey IQ

 

[Dr Quincy]

Everything to you is revisionist history or hindsight. You know very well there was a lot of people on these boards saying backes at that age and contract was a terrible deal. He was already showing signs of decline in both his skating and point production. It was a desperation move by Sweeney that didn’t work.

day of the draft or shortly thereafter "There's no point criticizing a pick because nobody knows how will it turn out."

when we find out how it turns out 'That's just revisionist history."

Never, ever fails.

 

[chizzler]

Sweeney has been up and down. Everytime he did something good, he would come back and do something questionable. The Backes deal was one. I didn’t like it after they had traded Lucic. I felt like they over paid and the term was the killer for me. Sucks I was correct. My biggest beef is these contracts that hand cuff him. He’s been better lately. Has he invested in his pro scouting?

 

[DKH]

Sometimes you set expectations high, and you consistently put up good regular season numbers. (What is it? The best win% since x year now?)

Bruins don't set a record this past season, Bruins don't look outright dominant most of the season. And a first round exit happens. Sometimes you lose because you choke. Badly. It's happened more times than I'd care to admit, why? Because we were in positions to win and didn't.

Anyways, no one was complaining at deadline because he was on the right side of the storyline at the time. Now he's on the wrong side again.

Sweeney isn't the worse GM, and the loss itself, not his fault. But the situation the team is in now, is his 100%.

There a number of non Bruins good podcasts out there - Sweeney continually comes in if not one but top three.

This is media and former players and front office people

I’m sure if they were post 2010 Bruins fans he’d be considered the worstest

I also didn’t realize Yzerman has never won a Cup as GM - he is sort of like the Red Sox version of Dan Duquette

I also didn’t realize Hedman was drafted by Brian Lawton and he actually put significant pieces on Tampa

Brian Lawton lol

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

day of the draft or shortly thereafter "There's no point criticizing a pick because nobody knows how will it turn out."

when we find out how it turns out 'That's just revisionist history."

Never, ever fails.

Seems you are using two different situation to make one point.

Day of the draft its true, pointless to criticize picks because its a crapshoot. Won't know for some time how it turns out. Especially where the Bruins are always drafting.

Revisionist history about Backes is valid as Backes was a known commodity. Whatever side of the argument one was on, there was a good argument to be made in favor of the signing or against it.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

There a number of non Bruins good podcasts out there - Sweeney continually comes in if not one but top three.

This is media and former players and front office people

I’m sure if they were post 2010 Bruins fans he’d be considered the worstest

I also didn’t realize Yzerman has never won a Cup as GM - he is sort of like the Red Sox version of Dan Duquette

I also didn’t realize Hedman was drafted by Brian Lawton and he actually put significant pieces on Tampa

Brian Lawton lol

But what do those guys know?

They're the kind of people that also say what a successful franchise the Boston Bruins are.

 

[Spooner st]

Yeah having a little fun is so frowned upon by the internet police. Ok.

Arrogance is the new little fun by the apologists? OK.

 

[Boston Bruno]

Yea but who could've known a "power forward" style player would decline in their early to mid 30s?

I think the Matt Beleskey failure to provide them what they "wanted" lead them to Backes.

Unfortunately the money that ended up getting tied up in those two, including bail out picks for salary dumps were a premium.