Boston Bruins

Sweeney Is Staying: Bruins Anticipate Summer of Change, Except Up Top

Published

1 month ago

April 23, 2025

AP Photo/Charles Krupa

BOSTON — By the tone of his voice, one would’ve thought that Charlie Jacobs was delivering a eulogy on Wednesday morning.

He was not, but as the CEO and chairman of the Boston Bruins spoke during a press conference at TD Garden, he shared in the grief that many of the team’s fans are experiencing following a disappointing and disastrous season on Causeway Street.

Jacobs reassured that a championship is not only the goal but the expectation of the Bruins, and that the organization will make whatever changes necessary this offseason to make that happen. That is, except for moving on from general manager Don Sweeney.

“I don’t think it’s an accident that the Bruins are tied for the best winning percentage in the National Hockey League since Don Sweeney’s hiring,” Jacobs read as part of his opening statement. “We’ve made the postseason eight years in a row prior to this spring, and we’ve made a lot of historic achievements along this journey. I applaud Don as I find that he’s an industry leader.”

A rare year without the playoffs has the Bruins in the unfamiliar position of preparing for the NHL Draft Lottery rather than pushing for a Stanley Cup after finishing with the fifth-worst record in the league this season.

“I have to accept the responsibility that this team significantly underperformed, and the frustration of the fan base,” said Sweeney. “Knowing what this city craves in its hockey team, we need to deliver that. I think we’ve done a good job over the course of my tenure as general manager to try and aspire to put the most competitive team we can possibly put together each and every year.”

Sweeney will begin his 10th season as the lead decision maker in Boston’s front office this summer with a lengthy priority list. At the very top is finding a new head coach.

While the last decade has featured a healthy amount of success for the Bruins, it’s also brought plenty of turmoil with four different coaches in charge behind the bench during that time. Two of which, Bruce Cassidy and Jim Montgomery, are still currently in the playoffs with their new teams, all while Sweeney and the Bruins are on an early summer break.

“I think the shelf life of a head coach is significantly shorter than that of a general manager or a team president,” Jacobs said. “It’s the nature of the beast of the job. You can have players’ attention for a select window of time and then some. Unfortunately, sometimes you lose it. It’s Don’s job to make sure that he’s got his hand on the pulse of whether or not the players have tuned him out, the head coach, and I feel he’s done a pretty good job of measuring that.”

Sweeney’s job is safe for now, but the decisions he makes this summer will weigh heavily on his long-term future with the organization. This upcoming season is the final of his contract, and a decision has not yet been made on whether he will be offered a new one.

“I’m still contemplating what the best course of action is,” said Bruins president Cam Neely. “As I mentioned, I really feel like Don has done a good job here, for the most part. He and his staff have been very collaborative. I like, when I sit in their meetings, how collaborative they are. The year that we had was a huge disappointment, and that falls on all of us, not just Don. I’ll figure out in the near future whether we’re going to re-sign Don or not.”

Even if only marginally, it’s more likely than not that, with whatever additions Sweeney makes to the roster this summer, along with the return of several key players from injury, the Bruins will have a better season next year.

It’s hard to do much worse.

“I anticipate we will be a playoff team and playing meaningful hockey at this time of year in 2026,” said Jacobs.