Sweeney Optimistic After Roller Coaster Week For Bruins
BOSTON (CBS) -- Forget fireworks. It's been a roller coaster of a week for new Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
The ups and downs of Boston sports were on full display for Sweeney over the last seven days. It's not that Sweeney, who spent 15 years in a Boston uniform, didn't know these peaks and valleys existed. But the noise is much different for a general manager than it is a player.
Sweeney felt the wrath of Bruins fans following last Friday's trades of Dougie Hamilton and Milan Lucic ahead of the NHL draft, and that anger increased when the Bruins used the picks acquired in those two moves rather than move up in the draft. The negativity hit a whole new level when Sweeney traded a third rounder for Zac Rinaldo on Monday.
The 48-year-old knew when he replaced the fired Peter Chiarelli that there would be some tough decisions to make in order to get the franchise back on track. He said calling Lucic, who he had known since the player was 18, was not a fun conversation. And he knew as a result of trading away a fan favorite and a player who was a big part of the identity of the team would lead to some unkind words from fans and the media alike.
He just didn't know it would be that bumpy of a start.
"I stumbled into some things that were may be predictable in some people's eyes, but once I got in the middle of it I knew where things were heading, and I'd likely have to take things in a different direction. Along with that came some difficult decisions," Sweeney told WBZ-TV's Dan Roche. "I knew I was going to take some criticism, but I told most of my staff when I first got the opportunity that we could be off to a bumpy start. We had some things we wanted to address and clean up to move the organization forward, and fortunately we were able to do some of that stuff."
As he moved on from the draft and prepared for free agency, Sweeney was able to block out much of that noise with a "bunker mentality." And by 8pm on Wednesday, the first day of free agency, that bumpy road was getting a whole lot smoother.
The emotions towards Sweeney and the team took a 180 that night. The new GM made a big splash by signing Matt Beleskey to a very favorable five-year deal and trading the disappointing Riley Smith for local boy Jimmy Hayes. The two forwards combined for 41 goals last season, and should help an offense that ranked 22nd in the league last season.
"They score goals in the hard areas of the ice. It's hard to score in the NHL and they're both guys who have shown the prepotency to go into the difficult areas and have good releases on their shot," Sweeney said of his two new players."They have the size and heaviness that we needed to add to your lineup to complement the skills and strength of the pretty elite center men we have."
With Hamilton gone, there are some concerns on Boston's blue line. Sweeney said there are still some good players on the free agent market, but he's also open to letting some of Boston's younger players get an opportunity to prove they're ready.
"There is always a balance between allowing some of the younger players, who are inexperience, to have an opportunity. At some point in time, you have to be given a chance," he said. "We're at that crossroads to allow those players to have that opportunity."
That's not something head coach Claude Julien, back for his 10th season on the Boston bench, has always been on board with. But Sweeney is confident the necessary changes will be made this season.
"I think we have to adapt a little bit how we're playing. They've gone to work on those things," he said of Julien and his staff. "They were identifying themselves that they wanted to make some changes, and when I started to have conversations the alignment piece started. Now we have to implement them and stick to them."
The bottom line is Sweeney wants to win, and win now. The roster and identity of the team are still works in progress, but Sweeney hopes that with Wednesday's moves, and with the moves that will come before opening night, he has put the Bruins in a position to do just that.
"I want to win. The character, the will, the skill – all of those things will have to be a factor. It's always going to come down to the players," said Sweeney. "I don't think any GM knows what their team looks like until you get to October and start playing games. You're hoping you put pieces in place that improve your club and we think we have."
And with Bruins fans no longer seething from draft night, Sweeney may even be able to enjoy himself this weekend.
