Management Don Sweeney on trade deadline

[TCB]

You ever hear of a salary cap?
You ever hear of a team that's already traded away their draft picks and most of their prospects?

What exactly would you propose he did?

Comprehension is a beautiful thing
I never mention anything about trading away picks they had and I clearly pointed out what I thought /proposed they could do. But this is as far as Ill go with you because for some reason, your not able to understand what is clearly written.

 

[Boston Bruno]

That we didn't pick up someone for faceoffs all year is more.of a thing for me. Even the loss of Nosek was under valued.

 

[Fenway]

Lou Lamoriello had an awful deadline given his team is fighting for a dance ticket.

 

[Eddie Munson]

Not sure what people were hoping for. Any of the big moves made would have seen something close to our 1st + Lohrei, Poitras, or Lysell going out for UFA returns. Hanafin may be signing only in Tampa. Guentzel and Lindholm are a bit older than what our next iteration will be with Pastrnak, McAvoy, Swayman. Not to mention they’re both likely looking for their last big contracts to take them into their late 30s. Those are typically the contracts that bite you.

I’ve been all for Sweeney being fired awhile ago. I disagree with his vision of the team.

That said, he did the right thing last year and went all in. This year we were hoping for maybe a playoff birth and a retool. Regardless of where they are in the standings, this is not the roster you go all in on. Let the west have it’s arms race and weaponize your cap space 7/1 to be aggressive at filling some holes. I would have loved Debrusk, Grz, Forbort, and Ullmark moved out for assets but where they are in the standings and their cap space made that nearly impossible.

It is what it is. I’m back to how I’ve always felt about this season. Happy to be in the playoffs hunt but this is a transition year. Only expectations is the team shows you what it is and needs are addressed for 24-25 season through kids, draft, UFA market.

My new concern is if Sweeney can build a contender without inheriting Bergeron, Krejci, Marchand, Pastrnak, Rask, Chara, Hamilton from previous regimes. His whiffs in 2015 give me concerns though McAvoy, Lohrei, Swayman give me hope.

Time will tell.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Sweeney could definitely have taken more risks that may or may not have paid off, chose not to, I can live with it. Have said all season that I don't want the GM giving up more futures for this transition year team that's highly compromised in terms of cap and assets, and he didn't. Well and good.

I understand the argument from people who wanted to see more, and certainly if DeBrusk and Ullmark and whoever else all just end up walking away for free at season's end that will be frustrating. But the main thing for me was harm avoidance at a time when taking big risks or giving up too much for short term gain just wasn't justified. So I'll take that, distaste about Maroon aside, and we'll see what the roster as it is can do in the playoffs, and what Sweeney does afterwards. Big offseason upcoming, hugely important in determining how the Bruins shape up in their next era. That's where Don is really going to earn his money.

 

[Saxon Eric]

It was a Money Ball deadline in a Money Ball year
Is Peeke our Scott Hatteburg?
Can't give it a grade till the season plays out and if/when Debrusk re-signs

 

[KrugAvoy]

No main roster player was taken off and we added to it. At minimum it's a B. If one succeeds it's a B+ if both succeed and we make a deep run it's an A

 

[Bruinator]

What are you talking about ?? What couldn't of been done ?

You are criticizing him for not trading Ulmark but but it has been publicized he tried but Ulmark nixed the deal with his no trade.

 

[MrKabukiman]

He used all his assets last year. No picks, no prospects. This is the start of a rebuild whatever happens after this year. I’m assuming Don is gone by that point but time will tell. Even if he traded everybody people wanted him to trade, other teams loaded up big time. Hard to compete with those moves.

 

[TCB]

You are criticizing him for not trading Ulmark but but it has been publicized he tried but Ulmark nixed the deal with his no trade.

O, I know that. Im just of the belief that there was a team out there who he could of been dealt to. I may be wrong , been plenty in my life-time, but I think he could of been moved to one of those 15 teams and for a fair return.

I just don't see his value for the Bruins at this point moving forward being greater than what he would of brought back in a return.

Bruins GM: I 'wasn't that aggressive' about trading Ullmark

Despite rumors of a potential move that would have sent Linus Ullmark to the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said he "wasn't that aggressive" about trading the netminder, per the Boston Globe's Matt Porter. "I really like the tandem we have now," he told reporters on...

www.thescore.com

Despite rumors of a potential move that would have sent Linus Ullmark to the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said he "wasn't that aggressive" about trading the netminder, per the Boston Globe's Matt Porter.

"I really like the tandem we have now," he told reporters on Friday, including NBC Sports Boston. "I'm very happy that we've (stood) pat there. Rumors are rumors in terms of what happens in private conversations. You guys know me well enough. It's not coming from here in terms of what we're trying to explore, what other teams are asking about.

"If I had to rob from a real strength of this hockey club, that was something we may have had to do if it made our team ultimately better, and we didn't move in that direction.

 

[bruinsfan1968]

Sweeney has been a part of this team since 2006, before he became GM in 2015, he was an Assistant GM for 6 yrs, so he has helped put this team together for a long time.
Suffice is to say, I am having my doubts whether, he is the right guy for the job of making this team a true contender, instead of a pretender.
On Capfriendly he is listed as an Alternate Governor what that means, so he most likely isn't going anywhere soon.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

He used all his assets last year. No picks, no prospects. This is the start of a rebuild whatever happens after this year. I’m assuming Don is gone by that point but time will tell. Even if he traded everybody people wanted him to trade, other teams loaded up big time. Hard to compete with those moves.

Yet only one team can win. This team is far from a rebuild, in fact next year they will be constructed better.

Sweeney has been a part of this team since 2006, before he became GM in 2015, he was an Assistant GM for 6 yrs, so he has helped put this team together for a long time.
Suffice is to say, I am having my doubts whether, he is the right guy for the job of making this team a true contender, instead of a pretender.
On Capfriendly he is listed as an Alternate Governor what that means, so he most likely isn't going anywhere soon.

Pretenders ? I liked our chances last season didn't you?

 

[SPV]

C+ for me, he did good with addressing some of the teams weaknesses and didn’t really address others. But, we obviously had limitations with limited cap and assets.


And to be fair, a week ago many of us were thinking of selling, so we’re in a weird situation this season.

 

[Dr Hook]

C+ for me, he did good with addressing some of the teams weaknesses and didn’t really address others. But, we obviously had limitations with limited cap and assets.


And to be fair, a week ago many of us were thinking of selling, so we’re in a weird situation this season.

As if Don was ever going to to do that with the team in the top 3 of the league in points.

 

[UncleRico]

The moves he made were dumpster moves. But we had no space, not much for assets, and did not give up much, it is what it is.

Sweeney did well on maroon at least

 

[chizzler]

The only thing that 90% of people want Sweeney to do is get tougher guys. If he can migrate towards that , he’ll be ok, because he isn’t a dummy. They definitely know that they need to do that IMO. You just can’t change things with a trade. It needs to be done in the core.

 

[TP70BruinsCup]

I was thinking this morning that to his credit, last year Sweeney went all in with the trades he made and it didn’t work out. We just saw loads of moves over the last few days…..how many of those won’t work out? How many teams will look next year at what their teams just did and say that just didn’t work out and it cost us….XXXX……? The deadline is really a crap shoot most times. Trade for someone and he gets injured, like the Bruins getting Rick Nash and he ends up concussed which was unfortunate. I know the salary cap tends to be the handcuffs of GM’s now, but I wish the deadline for trades was the middle of February. Seems funny nowadays to have it so late in the season. I guess as they are so few trades vs what we saw 35-40 years ago this is how it has to be done.

That’s my two……somewhat…..cents.

 

[Dr Hook]

I was thinking this morning that to his credit, last year Sweeney went all in with the trades he made and it didn’t work out. We just saw loads of moves over the last few days…..how many of those won’t work out? How many teams will look next year at what their teams just did and say that just didn’t work out and it cost us….XXXX……? The deadline is really a crap shoot most times. Trade for someone and he gets injured, like the Bruins getting Rick Nash and he ends up concussed which was unfortunate. I know the salary cap tends to be the handcuffs of GM’s now, but I wish the deadline for trades was the middle of February. Seems funny nowadays to have it so late in the season. I guess as they are so few trades vs what we saw 35-40 years ago this is how it has to be done.

That’s my two……somewhat…..cents.

Good point- there has been a certain amount of worry about what other teams are doing vs what Bruins have done, but only one wins a cup, and who's to say it will be Avs or VGK or FLA, or anyone that made a big TDL splash. Several fanbases are going to be diappointed in spite of the moves their team made, just like we were last season.

 

[bbfan419]

The worst part of any signings is when you let players have NTC or NMC, it can handcuff the GM in the future, as it did Sweeney. Don't blame Ullmark at all for invoking his clause, but if he had no trade protection, he would be on another team today and we may have been able to add to our forward group.

 

[mjhfb]

I'm going to relax and enjoy the rest of the season. I think we all witnessed last year that even the best of acquisitions don't guarantee anything.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

I have been a big Don Sweeney defender. None of us know what his options are or what he does on a daily basis let alone are able to do it better.

But, if the PLD thing is true. I'm all for firing this guy.
I don't see how you give up what we might have been offering for that huge expensive risk. I agree with other posters, having PLD on this team could have ruined the roster going forward in many different ways.

I'm flabbergasted.

Linus Ullmark may have just saved the Bruins franchise for the next 5 years.

 

[TP70BruinsCup]

I have been a big Don Sweeney defender. None of us know what his options are or what he does on a daily basis let alone are able to do it better.

But, if the PLD thing is true. I'm all for firing this guy.
I don't see how you give up what we might have been offering for that huge expensive risk. I agree with other posters, having PLD on this team could have ruined the roster going forward in many different ways.

I'm flabbergasted.

Linus Ullmark may have just saved the Bruins franchise for the next 5 years.

Good points! With the cap going up also, I have concerns (again) with what Donny will go out sign as free agents. His track record on that isn’t the best either

 

[chrisab123]

Equivalent to "we like our guys" granted other than dealing Ullmark which might not have been a realistic possibility, there wasn't much else they could have done that would have made sense. Maybe DeBrusk but they still are "contenders" so that also wouldn't have made sense.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

If Jacob Billington, who covers the Ottawa Senators for The Hockey Writers is to be believed. PLD was shopped by the Kings and Sweeney checked in to get the price. Kings in turn asked about Ullmark/Swayman.

No proof of any deal in the works there. Just a GM doing his job and checking in and vice versa.

The Seravalli tweet shows there WAS a deal constructed with Boston for Ullmark. No reliable word yet on who for.

Have yet to see anything reliable tying PLD to Sweeney.

 

[TinyRivers]

I'm going to relax and enjoy the rest of the season. I think we all witnessed last year that even the best of acquisitions don't guarantee anything.

I've taken this approach all this season. I'm not getting bent out of shape anymore by everything Bruins related. Has been too hard on the head the last 15 years. We've had a great team for a long time. Enjoyed the ride. But only 1 team wins it all, and if it isn't us, whatever.
It's still a fun ride.