It’s been expected for over a month, but now it’s finally official: The Bruins have signed general manager Don Sweeney to a multi-year extension.
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Team president Cam Neely said back on May 19 that he planned to extend Sweeney and that team ownership was onboard with the plan, but there had been no official announcement in the five-plus weeks since then.
Sweeney, whose previous contract expired this offseason, was clearly still operating as GM in the interim, as he was allowed to fire coach Bruce Cassidy and lead the coaching search that is currently taking place.
"We are proud to extend Don Sweeney to a multi-year contract as General Manager of the Boston Bruins," Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs said in a statement. "Under his management, the Boston Bruins have been one of the winningest franchises in the league and a perennial playoff contender year in and year out. While we recognize there is work to be done to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Boston, I'm confident that Don's commitment to being best-in-class on and off the ice will help us climb that mountain once again."
"Having had the pleasure of working closely with Don for more than a decade, I've seen firsthand his tireless work ethic when it comes to all facets of front office management," Neely said. "He remains committed to doing whatever it takes to give the Boston Bruins the best chance to win every season. I look forward to continuing to work with Don as we endeavor to bring another championship to this city and our fans."
Sweeney has been the Bruins’ GM since 2015. They’ve made the playoffs each of the last six seasons and reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, but Sweeney has also come under criticism for some of his draft picks -- especially the three first-round picks he had in his first draft in 2015 -- and free-agent signings.
Sweeney and Neely also came under heavy criticism for the decision to fire Cassidy, with a poll of Bruins fans conducted by The Athletic showing that 91.4% of respondents do not believe they're the right executives to lead the team.
Neely said in May that he wanted to see how this past season went before making a decision on Sweeney’s future. Given that the team’s first-round exit was a disappointment, it’s fair to assume that it was something else that won Neely over -- likely his trade and extension for Hampus Lindholm, and strong development years for recent draft picks Fabian Lysell and Mason Lohrei.
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