Management Don Sweeney III

[KillerMillerTime]

DeBrusk isn't a hit? He's one of the top 20 goal scoring LW's at 5v5 since becoming an NHLer.
Lauzon looks like he'll be a solid 3rd pairing guy at worst
Studnicka looked to be one of Boston's better forwards when given playing time during the playoffs

Most draft picks take 2-3 years before they are NHL options. There have been 5 drafts under Sweeney, so 2-3 of those drafts are still TBD because those guy (on average) aren't expected to be in the NHL yet.



I'll give you Smith for Hayes. Ritchie for Heinen though jury is still out. Nash looked fantatsic in Boston before the concussion vs TBL. Spooner is now in the KHL, Bels full time NHL. Lindgren has been ok in the NHL, but the 1st and 4th still haven't made an NHL impact. Stempniak acutally was solid when we traded for him with 10pt in 19gp. The picks they gave up haven't turned into anything, same goes for the picks for JML. Why leave out some other trade though:

Coyle for Donato
Mojo for a 2nd & 4th
Vatrano for a 3rd (Lauko)
Boychuk for a pair of 2nd rounders (one ended up being Carlo)
Jones for Kuraly + 1st
Lucic for Jones + Miller + 1st

Has he hit on every trade? nope, is a bad at trading? nope. He's like every other GM where sometimes you hit and sometimes you don't.



Riley Nash - 41pt season (career year) playing w/ Heinen and Backes
Dobby - provided a solid back-up goalie
Acciari - UDFA that was a staple on the 4th line for 4 years
Dominic Moore - 4th line center that gave you 11G/14A while bringing a defensive game
Chris Wagner - Solid 4th liner, plays a heavy game and a fan favorite
Jaro Halak - maybe the best back-up in the NHL right now
Connor Clifton - UFDA good 3rd pairing spark plug that plays bigger than his size
Nordstrom - monster in these past playoffs, good PK guy

Those were just a few I could think of. Again does he hit with every signing? nope, is he bad at signing? nope. He & hit team seem to be able to find good depth players for cheap, but haven't had that big impact forward signing yet.

So has Sweeney been great? no probably not. I'd say all things considered he's been slightly above average. His ability to sign key players for low AAV has been huge for this team. At the end of the day you can look at any GM and find good trades/bad trade, good drafts/bad draft and good signing/bad signing.

For pure talent Halak is not the best backup. Khudobin
and Fleury are both better.

 

[Pia8988]

Ok if you say so. Washington been kicking your ass for over ten years, the Blues pounded them to the cup and the Lightning always got their number by beating them at every turn. Yah, he would fit in.

the bruins size were some of this worst players. Just saying size size size is stupid.

 

[MattFromFranklin]

DeBrusk isn't a hit? He's one of the top 20 goal scoring LW's at 5v5 since becoming an NHLer.
Lauzon looks like he'll be a solid 3rd pairing guy at worst
Studnicka looked to be one of Boston's better forwards when given playing time during the playoffs

Most draft picks take 2-3 years before they are NHL options. There have been 5 drafts under Sweeney, so 2-3 of those drafts are still TBD because those guy (on average) aren't expected to be in the NHL yet.



I'll give you Smith for Hayes. Ritchie for Heinen though jury is still out. Nash looked fantatsic in Boston before the concussion vs TBL. Spooner is now in the KHL, Bels full time NHL. Lindgren has been ok in the NHL, but the 1st and 4th still haven't made an NHL impact. Stempniak acutally was solid when we traded for him with 10pt in 19gp. The picks they gave up haven't turned into anything, same goes for the picks for JML. Why leave out some other trade though:

Coyle for Donato
Mojo for a 2nd & 4th
Vatrano for a 3rd (Lauko)
Boychuk for a pair of 2nd rounders (one ended up being Carlo)
Jones for Kuraly + 1st
Lucic for Jones + Miller + 1st

Has he hit on every trade? nope, is a bad at trading? nope. He's like every other GM where sometimes you hit and sometimes you don't.



Riley Nash - 41pt season (career year) playing w/ Heinen and Backes
Dobby - provided a solid back-up goalie
Acciari - UDFA that was a staple on the 4th line for 4 years
Dominic Moore - 4th line center that gave you 11G/14A while bringing a defensive game
Chris Wagner - Solid 4th liner, plays a heavy game and a fan favorite
Jaro Halak - maybe the best back-up in the NHL right now
Connor Clifton - UFDA good 3rd pairing spark plug that plays bigger than his size
Nordstrom - monster in these past playoffs, good PK guy

Those were just a few I could think of. Again does he hit with every signing? nope, is he bad at signing? nope. He & hit team seem to be able to find good depth players for cheap, but haven't had that big impact forward signing yet.

So has Sweeney been great? no probably not. I'd say all things considered he's been slightly above average. His ability to sign key players for low AAV has been huge for this team. At the end of the day you can look at any GM and find good trades/bad trade, good drafts/bad draft and good signing/bad signing.

DeBrusk is definitely a "hit." He was not the BPA and he never should've been selected with one of our 3 picks in 2015, but that's a different subject and to say he isn't a "hit" is being disingenuous.

 

[Dr Hook]

the bruins size were some of this worst players. Just saying size size size is stupid.

Yep- David Backes, Jimmy Hayes, Matt Beleskey, both Ritchies, Rick Nash (not his fault he got concussed). Then it will be said that they were wrong guys with size. You need guys with size who can skate and have skill. Then you start getting a shrinking player pool.

 

[ON3M4N]

For pure talent Halak is not the best backup. Khudobin
and Fleury are both better.

If that's the only thing you want to refute then fine. I did say maybe the best, not that he was the best

 

[JOKER 192]

No. You need talent.

We have talent , we need size.

 

[JOKER 192]

For pure talent Halak is not the best backup. Khudobin
and Fleury are both better.

Fleury is not really a back up and Dobby is just on a hot streak, you'll see.

 

[JOKER 192]

the bruins size were some of this worst players. Just saying size size size is stupid.

For sure but if they keep on adding small guys isn't gonna work either.

 

[Pia8988]

We have talent , we need size.

Do we? Talent would be able to score 5 on 5. That isn't a size thing

 

[JOKER 192]

Do we? Talent would be able to score 5 on 5. That isn't a size thing

It sure was with Tampa.

 

[bearcountry17]

Pastrnak, Donato, Heinen and Bjork were all Chiarelli picks, not Sweeney.

and yes, even mid 1st, having 3 cracks at a player who was by far the BPA and fills the biggest need (a stud C to replace your aging star centers) and whiffing can easily set the franchise back.

Why is it so hard to some to see the incredible mistake that was passing on a consensus Top 10 pick 3 straight times? Are you that dead set on being an apologist?

Here's Barzal's draft rankings:

NHL Central Scouts: 11th
Hockey Writers: 10th
TSN: 9th
SI: 5th
ISS Hockey: 8th

This was a gift on the level of Hamilton and McAvoy sliding to them, and they said no thanks. There is no excuse, there is no justification.

This is not true. Chychrun, Kunin, and Fabbro were all ranked higher than Mcavoy. Chychrun would have been the layup pick, the "Barzal" pick. Sweeney deserves criticisms for missing out in 2015 but you have got to give credit where it's due as well. Kind of strange to bemoan not taking the consensus BPA and then not only ignore when he didn't the very next year and it worked out fantastically, but wrongly act like he was some layup pick.

2016 NHL Draft Consensus Rankings

 

[Gordoff]

So if Calgary and Boston offer the same money it’s Boston. If Boston offers three million short of the total package it’s Boston. I hope your right. Did Tavares take less with Toronto so he could go back home.

We don't know what the Bruins offered him. I doubt that we'll ever know. My gut says that the Bruins told him that if he comes here he'll have a better chance at getting his name on the cup etc. and then offered him less than the Leafs and I can't remember the 3rd team vying for him.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

With all due respect to the good folk of Calgary, there's no way Rask is packing up his family and moving it there at this point in his career. He'd probably rather retire if it came to that, and the team is probably on his no trade list.

Why not?

I'm sure there are many people living in the states that would be happy to move to a Canadian city right now.

 

[KnightofBoston]

Do we? Talent would be able to score 5 on 5. That isn't a size thing

Objectively, lack fo size will lead to lack of scoring chances 5 on 5, but not necessarily PP. Which is exactly the dynamic we’re seeing from the Bruins


But I also think the bruins lack skill


They need one or two guys with size that can actually skate, but we reaaaaaally need someone in the top 6 that’s more of a threat

especially when, as we can see, Pastrnak is not 100%

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

It sure was with Tampa.

I don't think so.

 

[KnightofBoston]

Why not?

I'm sure there are many people living in the states that would be happy to move to a Canadian city right now.

I’d never move from Mass to Alberta

I’d like to visit Calgary though just to see what a city in the middle of nowhere looks like, in the summer

 

[JOKER 192]

I don't think so.

Your entitled to your opinion. So what was it then ?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Your entitled to your opinion. So what was it then ?

Lack of offensive talent.

Marchand managed 4 goals in 5 games because he is skilled, not because he is big.

 

[JOKER 192]

Lack of offensive talent.

Marchand managed 4 goals in 5 games because he is skilled, not because he is big.

Well, there is some truth to that but they were outscored 13-4 in the last 10 periods of hockey they played. I get not scoring goals but how do explain the 13 goals against then?

The Tampa D was to big for the Bruins. The Bruins D wasn't to big for Tampa even though they're not particularly big. When you have guys like Krug , Grizz and even Carlo who plays way smaller than his size it easy pickings for skilled forwards.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Why not?

I'm sure there are many people living in the states that would be happy to move to a Canadian city right now.

Why would he bother? He's already wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. He's spent his entire active career building a legacy with one team. He's only got one thing left in hockey to achieve - winning a Cup as a starting goalie - should he still be interested in pursuing it, and he's more likely to obtain that in Boston than Calgary. He's got a partner and 3 young kids who he'd have to unsettle and move thousands of miles just to suit him. Yes that's part of being involved with a pro-athlete, but not when that athlete's 33 and has no real need to shift.

I just can't see it. To me Rask's got one move in the next few years of his life and that's back to Finland, whenever exactly that occurs.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Why would he bother? He's already wealthy beyond his wildest dreams. He's spent his entire active career building a legacy with one team. He's only got one thing left in hockey to achieve - winning a Cup as a starting goalie - should he still be interested in pursuing it, and he's more likely to obtain that in Boston than Calgary. He's got a partner and 3 young kids who he'd have to unsettle and move thousands of miles just to suit him. Yes that's part of being involved with a pro-athlete, but not when that athlete's 33 and has no real need to shift.

I just can't see it. To me Rask's got one move in the next few years of his life and that's back to Finland, whenever exactly that occurs.

Canada is a really nice place.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Well, there is some truth to that but they were outscored 13-4 in the last 10 periods of hockey they played. I get not scoring goals but how do explain the 13 goals against then?

The Tampa D was to big for the Bruins. The Bruins D wasn't to big for Tampa even though they're not particularly big. When you have guys like Krug , Grizz and even Carlo who plays way smaller than his size it easy pickings for skilled forwards.

Well, that's a different story.

 

[JOKER 192]

Well, that's a different story.

Well what is the story ?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Well what is the story ?

I'd have to think about that when I'm sober.

But the subject I was addressing was about 5 on 5 scoring and the effects of talent & size.

 

[JOKER 192]

I'd have to think about that when I'm sober.

But the subject I was addressing was about 5 on 5 scoring and the effects of talent & size.

I'm addressing the same subject, that's what I saw. In the Bruins zone small/tough guys taking liberties on our small/soft defense. In the Tampa zone I saw big defensemen taking liberties on our small/soft forwards. It's a generalization but that's pretty much what I watched.