Management Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney - 1/11/2022

[bbfan419]

Or even resigning Halak he as well has been pretty stellar for the Canucks at 3.5 mil less than Ullmark. Rask comes back you still have Vlad along with Swayman and then trade Halak to the Oil for a 3rd at the worst or hell package him with Jake and get Mcleod and a 2nd or try to pry Edmontons first away. Hindsight certainly isn't on Donny's repertoire.

The key for me is the cap space that Sweeney basically just threw away with all these off season deals, nearly 20 mil and not one impact player and Ullmark who signed for the highest price tag, is now part of a three - headed monster. He hasn't spent his cap space wisely with his out of town signings and this continues to hurt the Bruins in the long run.

I am very happy they did not bring back Halak, anything low glove side seemed to always beat him.

 

[bbfan419]

I thought Haula and Forbort signings were fine

But did not understand Foligno, Nosek signings.

Frederic, Stud, Blidh, Senyshyn etc. could have filled in the vacancy (with Kuraly and Wagner out).

Agree way over payment for Foligno a guy near the end of his career, we have lots on young hungry 4th line types that can easily do what Foligno does.

 

[EvilDead]

"running themselves into the ground" is just you being dramatic then?

I would argue that the continued mismanagement of assets, improper spending of cap space, and letting prospects wait in the minors for too long is them running themselves into the ground because they are focusing too much on win now than for a post Bergeron future. What I see with the Bruins is almost 1 to 1 with what the Red Wings did under Ken Holland when they prioritized playoffs over planning for the future and I find that to be organizational negligence. This team needs to stop trying extend a window that is arguably firmly slammed shut after 2019 and look towards the future. Because right now they have nobody that can replace important positions on the team. Namely a first line center.

 

[JerseyBruin]

Not against the Rask signing but what bugs me most is how Sweeney couldn't see this coming, but instead went and signed a goalie offering him a NMC. Was there really no short term deal for a goalie he could of brought in to hold down the fort until Rask would sign?

Instead he's blocked Swayman potentially for 2-3 years when Swayman has outperformed the goalie he brought in. Not to mention he just potentially burnt a bridge with the Bruins future goalie. Talk about complete mismanagement and just throwing darts to see where they land.

My only gripe is the NMC . Who knows the future with Rask ,perhaps he told Sweeney that this is his last hurrah and will sign cheaply for one last go with this core . Maybe he hangs them up after this season and then the B's would be scrambling to sign another quality netminder. Locking up Ullmark wasn't a bad thing , the NMC is what bugs me about it. Swayman's time will come , its tough for him right now and if I was him I'd be disappointed but as long as his agent doesn't stir the pot , he should with the B's for a long time.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

I would argue that the continued mismanagement of assets, improper spending of cap space, and letting prospects wait in the minors for too long is them running themselves into the ground because they are focusing too much on win now than for a post Bergeron future. What I see with the Bruins is almost 1 to 1 with what the Red Wings did under Ken Holland when they prioritized playoffs over planning for the future and I find that to be organizational negligence. This team needs to stop trying extend a window that is arguably firmly slammed shut after 2019 and look towards the future. Because right now they have nobody that can replace important positions on the team. Namely a first line center.

Assuming Bergeron retires after next season, and Pasta resigns (not a huge leap), this team has Marchand, Hall, Pasta, Coyle, Lysell, Steen, Lohrei, McAvoy, Carlo, Ullmark, Swayman. That looks nothing like what the Wings did by trying to get one for Zetty and Datsyuk.

 

[TCB]

My only gripe is the NMC . Who knows the future with Rask ,perhaps he told Sweeney that this is his last hurrah and will sign cheaply for one last go with this core . Maybe he hangs them up after this season and then the B's would be scrambling to sign another quality netminder. Locking up Ullmark wasn't a bad thing , the NMC is what bugs me about it. Swayman's time will come , its tough for him right now and if I was him I'd be disappointed but as long as his agent doesn't stir the pot , he should with the B's for a long time.

Rask's health is still a huge question mark moving forward as well.

 

[Dr Hook]

Rask's health is still a huge question mark moving forward as well.

Yep, we can't assume he is going to be the Tuukka of old. He might be, and he clearly feels like he can be but it's a gamble. Ullmark's NMC is not even that big of a deal. He is a quality NHL starter. If Tuukka is really back and Ullmark decides he wants out, he will waive and someone will want him. This NMC is just protection against him getting shoveled off someplace shitty or being waived: having no control over where ends up.

 

[LouJersey]

Yea 12-14 million that's too much but 6--7 million in the bank, problem is he doesn't spend it wisely on outside FA no matter how much he spends.

I mean his cheap deals to pasta and Marchand allowed him to sign Hall. He should get some credit for that?

 

[LouJersey]

Yep, we can't assume he is going to be the Tuukka of old. He might be, and he clearly feels like he can be but it's a gamble. Ullmark's NMC is not even that big of a deal. He is a quality NHL starter. If Tuukka is really back and Ullmark decides he wants out, he will waive and someone will want him. This NMC is just protection against him getting shoveled off someplace shitty or being waived: having no control over where ends up.

I was one of the biggest critics of the Ullmark signing but I really can’t have any complaints right now. Down the road if it messes with Swayman, but he’s been very good to good most nights

 

[rocketdan9]

I would argue that the continued mismanagement of assets, improper spending of cap space, and letting prospects wait in the minors for too long is them running themselves into the ground because they are focusing too much on win now than for a post Bergeron future. What I see with the Bruins is almost 1 to 1 with what the Red Wings did under Ken Holland when they prioritized playoffs over planning for the future and I find that to be organizational negligence. This team needs to stop trying extend a window that is arguably firmly slammed shut after 2019 and look towards the future. Because right now they have nobody that can replace important positions on the team. Namely a first line center.

I would have to semi agree/disagree

Bruins latest winning streak against top level teams (torched them) .... proves the Bruins are still a playoff team that can make noise

I do agree though... the backlog/confidence killing. Studnicka has been buried down in Providence for 4 seasons now?

Organization has done a poor job of building prospects/draft.

 

[The don godfather]

I would have to semi agree/disagree

Bruins latest winning streak against top level teams (torched them) .... proves the Bruins are still a playoff team that can make noise

I do agree though... the backlog/confidence killing. Studnicka has been buried down in Providence for 4 seasons now?

Organization has done a poor job of building prospects/draft.

Very disappointed they destroy their own prospects now sway sent down. Love rask but this hurts sway .

 

[TCB]

I mean his cheap deals to pasta and Marchand allowed him to sign Hall. He should get some credit for that?

He should no doubt but I also think that Marchand and Pasta love for the city and their team had just as much to do with their signings, and of course Hall wanting to come to Boston. Sure I'll give Donny some of the credit he essentially got the players to sign on the dotted line and he's been very good at that but he also let Krejci, Chara, Krug, and Mojo walk without re-cooping any return.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

He should no doubt but I also think that Marchand and Pasta love for the city and their team had just as much to do with their signings, and of course Hall wanting to come to Boston. Sure I'll give Donny some of the credit he essentially got the players to sign on the dotted line and he's been very good at that but he also let Krejci, Chara, Krug, and Mojo walk without re-cooping any return.

literally all 4 of the guys you just listed walked in the summer after the team went on a playoff run. Which of those guys should have been traded for assets while the team was trying to contend? Mojo was a textbook rental. Chara was old as f***. Krejci left for another continent.

I'm no Sweeney apologist but that's a nonsense criticism of him. Sometimes it makes 100% sense to let a UFA walk. When a team is in the playoffs/Cup contention every year, it's virtually impossible to be sellers, and nobody is giving up assets for those guys after the playoffs when they are about to be UFAs. Just not understanding at all what kind of return you think he was supposed to get for any of those guys.

 

[Dr Hook]

Very disappointed they destroy their own prospects now sway sent down. Love rask but this hurts sway .

They aren't destroying Swayman lol.

 

[Jim]

I would have to semi agree/disagree

Bruins latest winning streak against top level teams (torched them) .... proves the Bruins are still a playoff team that can make noise

I do agree though... the backlog/confidence killing. Studnicka has been buried down in Providence for 4 seasons now?

Organization has done a poor job of building prospects/draft.

Same trick every year….regular season heroics disappear when the Euro-hockey ends and the games really count.

 

[Dr Hook]

Same trick every year….regular season heroics disappear when the Euro-hockey ends and the games really count.

Yep, those Big Bad Bruins really cleaned up on Cups didn't they.

 

[Jim]

Yep, those Big Bad Bruins really cleaned up on Cups didn't they.

Well brother, we got one anyhow, and I guess it is coincidental that we were the biggest, baddest team in the league that year.

 

[Agent86]

Yep, we can't assume he is going to be the Tuukka of old. He might be, and he clearly feels like he can be but it's a gamble. Ullmark's NMC is not even that big of a deal. He is a quality NHL starter. If Tuukka is really back and Ullmark decides he wants out, he will waive and someone will want him. This NMC is just protection against him getting shoveled off someplace shitty or being waived: having no control over where ends up.

Bang on. This is really much ado about nothing, the GM did his job not knowing how the surgery/recovery would go and signing Ullmark was the prudent thing to do (coming into his prime, lots of practice to hone his craft in Buffalo). The contract, as we tend to gloss over here, is a result of market forces and this is what it took to get name to paper but the team (and Ullmark) have some flexibility. Good for both parties.

Swayman/Vladar and praying that a 34 year old bounces back to be better after a major medical procedure is risky.

 

[Dr Hook]

Well brother, we got one anyhow, and I guess it is coincidental that we were the biggest, baddest team in the league that year.

And several years after that with nothing. Coincidence? No. Those big bad nasty Habs won a few in those years.

 

[TCB]

literally all 4 of the guys you just listed walked in the summer after the team went on a playoff run. Which of those guys should have been traded for assets while the team was trying to contend? Mojo was a textbook rental. Chara was old as f***. Krejci left for another continent.

I'm no Sweeney apologist but that's a nonsense criticism of him. Sometimes it makes 100% sense to let a UFA walk. When a team is in the playoffs/Cup contention every year, it's virtually impossible to be sellers, and nobody is giving up assets for those guys after the playoffs when they are about to be UFAs. Just not understanding at all what kind of return you think he was supposed to get for any of those guys.

It is I agree its nit-picking but their his own FA he didn't resign. Chara would have been just as good as some of his signings and the reason he let him go was so he wanted to go with players he drafted well that didn't actually happen and the Bruin lost a whole lot of toughness and leadership. He let Mojo walk for peanuts and he had great chemistry with Coyle in the playoffs, and for what he signed for with the Sabres and what Sweeney brought in instead wasn't nearly as impactful he gave up a 2nd and a 4th for a player who was very instrumental in a playoff run and then let him walk in a very cheap deal in the off-season, not great asset management.

For me the bottom line is winning a cup, its what a GM ultimately gets paid for, making the right decisions that put you over the top today and in the future and for me Sweeney hasn't done nearly enough in either aspect.

 

[Dr Hook]

And several years after that with nothing. Coincidence? No. Those big bad nasty Habs won a few in those years.

EDIT; sorry man, just poking at you a little bit in fun. I agree with you, Bruins could use a bit more jam in their defense if nowhere else.

 

[Saxon Eric]

Rask's health is still a huge question mark moving forward as well.

Good thing Swayman's less than 1 hour away

 

[bruinsfan]

They aren't destroying Swayman lol.

Destroying might be the wrong wording but to come in and play as well as Swayman has, that's going to hurt his confidence, not to mention they've now got a logjam with goaltending, with no real opportunity for Swayman to bust through. He's already proven he can play up in the NHL his only real chance is hoping someone gets hurt, but even then once they recover it's straight back down to the minors.

 

[TCB]

Destroying might be the wrong wording but to come in and play as well as Swayman has, that's going to hurt his confidence, not to mention they've now got a logjam with goaltending, with no real opportunity for Swayman to bust through. He's already proven he can play up in the NHL his only real chance is hoping someone gets hurt, but even then once they recover it's straight back down to the minors.

Their numbers are near identical albeit Swaymans are a bit better and he has a far less Cap hit, he's an NHL player with a ELC and just the type of player you want on your team to help mange your cap, but at this point and time it is the only logical move as he's waiver exempt.

 

[Dr Hook]

Destroying might be the wrong wording but to come in and play as well as Swayman has, that's going to hurt his confidence, not to mention they've now got a logjam with goaltending, with no real opportunity for Swayman to bust through. He's already proven he can play up in the NHL his only real chance is hoping someone gets hurt, but even then once they recover it's straight back down to the minors.

I don't know- maybe, maybe not. There is a lot of unknowns here. Swayman definitely has some work to do on his game, as good as he has been at times. We'll have to see how the schedule plays out, how Tuukka actually does, what Ullmark looks like and whether he is going to want to stay or not, injuries, illness, fatigue. Way too many moving parts here to just decide Swayman is getting ruined or damaged.