News Article: GLOBE: Bruins GM feels the heat, but says team isn’t rebuilding

[Fenway]

Sweeney has a conference call with reporters this morning


Globe - Bruins GM feels the heat, but says team isn’t rebuilding

Don Sweeney knew these first days would be painful. He admitted as much on Tuesday in a conference call before the start of the NHL’s free agency period. He knew that his moves might not be popular.

“Heat is the appropriate term, I would say,†Sweeney said on Tuesday morning. “I knew going in the chair would be warm. Accepted that challenge, and knew there would be some hard decisions to make. Our staff went about trying to make the best ones.

“Maybe in the short term it looks like we took a step back, but we’ve also got five of our six defensemen back, returning, a core group of forwards, and some young assets that I think will pay dividends for the Boston Bruins in our future.â€

Sweeney said, repeatedly, that his first priority was to find some cap flexibility going forward, which he did by trading defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Flames and left wing Milan Lucic to the Kings. But the Bruins retained $2.75 million in salary in the Lucic deal, which combined with approximately $969,000 in overages from last season, means the team will have about $3.6 million in dead space on the cap. That’s not that far off from this season, when the Bruins had just less than $5 million.

YAHOO - Don Sweeney says Bruins aren’t rebuilding, defends trades

“No, I don’t think it’s a rebuild,†he said on Tuesday. “We have a tremendous core group of guys that will carry and even more tremendous load while we wait for these young players to find their footing.â€

On Wednesday, the market is open for teams like the Bruins to improve via free agency. Sweeney won’t rule out offer sheets. He’s actively shopping Marc Savard’s cap hit to acquire assets. He’s talking to the agents of free agents to gauge interest in the Bruins.

“If this doesn’t materialize tomorrow, I’m sure criticism will come again,†he said.

But Sweeney said he’s undaunted by the maligning of his rookie summer as GM.

“I did attack this from looking at cap flexibility, and improving my team from now until Sept. and going forward. Some situations we were prsented would have put us further behind the eight ball,†he said.

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[BB88]

Don Sweeney says Bruins aren’t rebuilding, defends trades

we have just bergeron, rask, krecji left, I don't believe chara to be that 25+ min monster anymore.

I can't believe that he keeps saying that he improved the team and will continue to do so now when the market opens, looking for a winger help , so bad in many ways, Stewart will be a bruin and he doesn't speak of getting any D help.

 

[Mount Kramer Cameras]

 

[Therick67]

He landed Zac Rinaldo, no rebuild here..

 

[Fire Sweeney]

You can't rebuild and keep high-priced old (30+ yo) players like Chara, Seidenberg, Kelly, Bergeron around. Or trade a 22 year old franchise defenseman.

 

[KesselBuiltMyHotrod]

Better to be thought a fool etc, etc...

 

[GloryDaze4877]

You can't rebuild and keep high-priced old (30+ yo) players like Chara, Seidenberg, Kelly, Bergeron around. Or trade a 22 year old franchise defenseman.

When did Sweeney trade a 22 yr old Franchise D?

 

[13Hockey]

You can't rebuild and keep high-priced old (30+ yo) players like Chara, Seidenberg, Kelly, Bergeron around. Or trade a 22 year old franchise defenseman.

can we stop calling Dougie a Franchise D

One above average season doesn't make him a franchise player

If he puts up 3 straight 50 point seasons as a top pairing D and cuts down on his turnovers than we can start to call him a franchise player

 

[DKH]

How is the Globe's writers hockey knowledge?

Are they pissed they aren't getting the Peter late night plant calls.

In fairness Felger finally learned who Seguin was in early April of his draft year

 

[ashnathan]

How is the Globe's writers hockey knowledge?

Are they pissed they aren't getting the Peter late night plant calls.

In fairness Felger finally learned who Seguin was in early April of his draft year

Felger was adamant Patrick Sharp had the discipline issues for the Hawks and it wasnt Patrick Kane too the guy who is a 'hockey guy' is a moron.

 

[ODAAT]

Felger was adamant Patrick Sharp had the discipline issues for the Hawks and it wasnt Patrick Kane too the guy who is a 'hockey guy' is a moron.

surprised he even got the first names right

 

[C77]

About midway through this past season I had an idea of where the Bruins were headed as far as a successful or non-successful season.

I thought that the team didn’t play hard enough for the coach but that the overall quality of the roster (a couple changes away from the President’s Trophy team) should have gotten them into the playoffs. Still it was fairly clear that even with a playoff appearance, the best possible outcome would have been to win one round if they had gotten a favorable matchup. It was evident that Tampa Bay and Montreal were superior teams and Boston was declining.

At the deadline I would have moved Lucic to either Anaheim or LA if possible.

I was hoping that the Bruins would keep Chiarelli and let Julien go.

In the offseason I would have looked to move Chara as key part of a re-tool to have this team very competitive again in 2016-2017.


The way things have developed has been quite different than what I expected (for better or worse).

The moves made indicate that Sweeney has decided upon the nuclear option. At this point, if we’re not in a full rebuild, then it is likely going to be quite ugly from fan relations p.o.v., and it might get very ugly anyway because Sweeney denies that the team is rebuilding.

But let’s look at it from a roster construction point of view. The Bruins did not qualify for the playoffs last year and now they have lost/moved out a Top 6 LW, good 3rd line center, and #1 defenseman.

As it stands right now (one day before free agency) I’d estimate that this team is picking from #8 to #10 overall next season. If you have a healthy Chara, Rask, and Bergeron and Julien’s system, then the team should win enough games to get to 80-85 points or so. If they keep both Bergeron and Krejci it means they will likely have at least two decent lines to roll out there. The defense as stands is going to be very slow and the team will probably have many defensive zone draws.

Having the 2016-2017 year in consideration as arrival date of what I thought should be a re-tool, Sweeney’s moves in my opinion have pushed forward the calendar an additional 2-3 years.

It seems clear that contending this upcoming season is not likely.

In the near term future of 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 the Bruins will likely have a bad defense. First, they traded Hamilton. Second, Chara will be 40-41 if not retired, Seidenberg is unlikely to be in Boston at that point at age 36+. Third, they don’t have any projected young stud defensemen due to arrive on the scene, and if one turns up he will just be learning the NHL game. Fourth, acquiring quality Top 4 defensemen is not easy and sometimes teams have to wait a long time before it happens. Not to beat a dead horse but this team already was missing one last year, now their best and youngest from the last season is gone, and the two stalwarts are another year older. The next time Boston is a contender it is possible that perhaps only one d-man on the roster will have played a playoff game for this team….(Krug?)

3. I thought aiming for 2016-2017 made sense because Bergeron and Krejci could still be playing very effective hockey. Rask would be in his prime and they could use the next year or two to develop young players like Hamilton and Pastrnak…maybe Spooner / Morrow to replace the veteran guys that have moved on. If Chara was moved out, then Lucic could have stayed and he and Marchand should be effective players for some time to come….at least 2-3 years.


Due to cap situation, the ages of the players on the roster, the issue of dealing with Hamilton, and the desire of Sweeney to put his own mark on this team there have already been a handful of moves.

It looks like there will be a lot of short-term pain…but the medium term which I believe could have been salvaged isn’t looking too good either. The assets that the team could have used for a short-term re-tool have been transformed into futures for the long-term. In a way it indicates that Sweeney doesn’t believe that the core group of guys here could get the job done any longer. That is a situation that could bear watching because these guys are proud individuals and have accomplished many things. Very tough pill to swallow.

So where to go from here?

In my opinion the team needs to go into full rebuild. Maybe that is already underway. This is not a good NHL team as currently constructed and a couple free agent signings or trades to bring in veterans is not going to bring back the glory days. Sound out the veterans if they want to stick around for it.

I think it is best for the Bruins to move out another key contributor with the long-term future in mind. If you are going to rebuild, then don’t do it with one foot in and one foot out. You put out a roster mix of vets + kids and take your lumps.

If we're not in a rebuild, then Sweeney has some explaining to do because it seems like he just tanked this team's chances for 4 years or so.

 

[Mathews28]

When did Sweeney trade a 22 yr old Franchise D?

Good question daze. I heard he traded Hamilton, but I'm still wondering who the franchise guy he moved was. Cuz it certainly wasn't that oft beaten, flat footed 22 yr older ginger.

 

[Mathews28]

When did Sweeney trade a 22 yr old Franchise D?

About midway through this past season I had an idea of where the Bruins were headed as far as a successful or non-successful season.

I thought that the team didn’t play hard enough for the coach but that the overall quality of the roster (a couple changes away from the President’s Trophy team) should have gotten them into the playoffs. Still it was fairly clear that even with a playoff appearance, the best possible outcome would have been to win one round if they had gotten a favorable matchup. It was evident that Tampa Bay and Montreal were superior teams and Boston was declining.

At the deadline I would have moved Lucic to either Anaheim or LA if possible.

I was hoping that the Bruins would keep Chiarelli and let Julien go.

In the offseason I would have looked to move Chara as key part of a re-tool to have this team very competitive again in 2016-2017.


The way things have developed has been quite different than what I expected (for better or worse).

The moves made indicate that Sweeney has decided upon the nuclear option. At this point, if we’re not in a full rebuild, then it is likely going to be quite ugly from fan relations p.o.v., and it might get very ugly anyway because Sweeney denies that the team is rebuilding.

But let’s look at it from a roster construction point of view. The Bruins did not qualify for the playoffs last year and now they have lost/moved out a Top 6 LW, good 3rd line center, and #1 defenseman.

As it stands right now (one day before free agency) I’d estimate that this team is picking from #8 to #10 overall next season. If you have a healthy Chara, Rask, and Bergeron and Julien’s system, then the team should win enough games to get to 80-85 points or so. If they keep both Bergeron and Krejci it means they will likely have at least two decent lines to roll out there. The defense as stands is going to be very slow and the team will probably have many defensive zone draws.

Having the 2016-2017 year in consideration as arrival date of what I thought should be a re-tool, Sweeney’s moves in my opinion have pushed forward the calendar an additional 2-3 years.

It seems clear that contending this upcoming season is not likely.

In the near term future of 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 the Bruins will likely have a bad defense. First, they traded Hamilton. Second, Chara will be 40-41 if not retired, Seidenberg is unlikely to be in Boston at that point at age 36+. Third, they don’t have any projected young stud defensemen due to arrive on the scene, and if one turns up he will just be learning the NHL game. Fourth, acquiring quality Top 4 defensemen is not easy and sometimes teams have to wait a long time before it happens. Not to beat a dead horse but this team already was missing one last year, now their best and youngest from the last season is gone, and the two stalwarts are another year older. The next time Boston is a contender it is possible that perhaps only one d-man on the roster will have played a playoff game for this team….(Krug?)

3. I thought aiming for 2016-2017 made sense because Bergeron and Krejci could still be playing very effective hockey. Rask would be in his prime and they could use the next year or two to develop young players like Hamilton and Pastrnak…maybe Spooner / Morrow to replace the veteran guys that have moved on. If Chara was moved out, then Lucic could have stayed and he and Marchand should be effective players for some time to come….at least 2-3 years.


Due to cap situation, the ages of the players on the roster, the issue of dealing with Hamilton, and the desire of Sweeney to put his own mark on this team there have already been a handful of moves.

It looks like there will be a lot of short-term pain…but the medium term which I believe could have been salvaged isn’t looking too good either. The assets that the team could have used for a short-term re-tool have been transformed into futures for the long-term. In a way it indicates that Sweeney doesn’t believe that the core group of guys here could get the job done any longer. That is a situation that could bear watching because these guys are proud individuals and have accomplished many things. Very tough pill to swallow.

So where to go from here?

In my opinion the team needs to go into full rebuild. Maybe that is already underway. This is not a good NHL team as currently constructed and a couple free agent signings or trades to bring in veterans is not going to bring back the glory days. Sound out the veterans if they want to stick around for it.

I think it is best for the Bruins to move out another key contributor with the long-term future in mind. If you are going to rebuild, then don’t do it with one foot in and one foot out. You put out a roster mix of vets + kids and take your lumps.

If we're not in a rebuild, then Sweeney has some explaining to do because it seems like he just tanked this team's chances for 4 years or so.

Last years roster wasn't good enough to make the playoffs. And they were more than a tweak away from contention for a cup. Way more. So you can go a couple of ways...add some players to improve the team in the near term, assuming they'd fit under the cap, and lose in the first round. Or start retooling.

I for one am glad they've chosen the latter. And i suspect they'll be close to playoff contention this year and next but likely be very good after l 2 years. Things will come together.

 

[C77]

Last years roster wasn't good enough to make the playoffs. And they were more than a tweak away from contention for a cup. Way more. So you can go a couple of ways...add some players to improve the team in the near term, assuming they'd fit under the cap, and lose in the first round. Or start retooling.

I for one am glad they've chosen the latter. And i suspect they'll be close to playoff contention this year and next but likely be very good after l 2 years. Things will come together.

If you want to compete for a Cup you need elite talent and for those player to be in their primes.

The forwards are generally younger whereas the d-men hit their prime later and can be at an elite level into the 33-35 years old range.

Teams that compete for the Cup are strong at every position because a team with a significant weakness generally gets exposed in the first 3 rounds.

The problem is that when our young guys drafted in the past 2 years won't be hitting their prime for several years (and that's if the Bruins get a handful of good NHL'ers from the drafts). At the same time the guys that are in their prime now on the Bruins will no longer be there in 4 or 5 years.

If you take a look around the NHL it's going to be hard to find a group of wingers worse than Boston's for this year (as of right now). By the time this team is a contender again the entire defense will have to be rebuilt.

These things take time, patience, talent, luck.

 

[RedeyeRocketeer]

Yeah it's not a rebuild, and I run a 4.1 forty...

 

[HuskyBruinPride]

We had an overage penalty last year? What??? News to me...

 

[boston77]

we have just bergeron, rask, krecji left, I don't believe chara to be that 25+ min monster anymore.

I can't believe that he keeps saying that he improved the team and will continue to do so now when the market opens, looking for a winger help , so bad in many ways, Stewart will be a bruin and he doesn't speak of getting any D help.

He didn't say he improved the team, he said cap flexibility and improve the team by September and in the future (which he has done ) is his goal...

“I did attack this from looking at cap flexibility, and improving my team from now until Sept. and going forward. Some situations we were presented would have put us further behind the eight ball,†he said."

He wants to improve the team by September so let's see what moves he makes between now an then and then decide.... let's see what happens in the next week or so...

 

[boston77]

We had an overage penalty last year? What??? News to me...

I think it was the IGINLA CONTRACT......

 

[BB88]

He didn't say he improved the team, he said cap flexibility and improve the team by September and in the future (which he has done ) is his goal...

“I did attack this from looking at cap flexibility, and improving my team from now until Sept. and going forward. Some situations we were presented would have put us further behind the eight ball,†he said."

He wants to improve the team by September so let's see what moves he makes between now an then and then decide.... let's see what happens in the next week or so...

He said it earlier than today, that improve comment.

 

[DKH]

Yeah it's not a rebuild, and I run a 4.1 forty...

Chicago in rebuild

 

[Mathews28]

If you want to compete for a Cup you need elite talent and for those player to be in their primes.

The forwards are generally younger whereas the d-men hit their prime later and can be at an elite level into the 33-35 years old range.

Teams that compete for the Cup are strong at every position because a team with a significant weakness generally gets exposed in the first 3 rounds.

The problem is that when our young guys drafted in the past 2 years won't be hitting their prime for several years (and that's if the Bruins get a handful of good NHL'ers from the drafts). At the same time the guys that are in their prime now on the Bruins will no longer be there in 4 or 5 years.

If you take a look around the NHL it's going to be hard to find a group of wingers worse than Boston's for this year (as of right now). By the time this team is a contender again the entire defense will have to be rebuilt.

These things take time, patience, talent, luck.

Exactly, time and patience are key. For what it's worth, if I recall correctly, Chicago missed the playoffs like 9 yrs in a row before their recent run of success. In those dark years they drafted Toews and Kane and a slew of others. I don't suspect the Bruins will experience a drought anywhere near that.

 

[HuskyBruinPride]

I think it was the IGINLA CONTRACT......

I thought that was applied to last season? This makes it sound like we went over the cap and have another penalty for this year...

 

[MattFromFranklin]

I'd rather rebuild (tank) than bring in a bunch of average guys that will have this team be nothing more than a OAD team for the next few years. I fear that they're going to do the latter and be content with that.