E.L. wrote:
Really? I think the B's are set up nicely for the future. Drafted well recently.
Sweeney whiffed on his deadline rentals but nothing disastrous.
Sometimes I think it's fair to separate the GM from his scouting/draft/development staff. He obviously gets some credit for those people being there in the first place, but where that talent ends up is ultimately his call (other examples of bad GMs being buoyed by good draft/development teams are Murray in Anaheim and whoever the hell is in Philly at the moment). I think the Bruins, apart from the occasional Zboril/Senyshyn pick, have drafted pretty well. DeBrusk looks like a winner and McAvoy is going to be an absolute stud for years.
However...
I believe he was the GM of record when Matt Beleskey was signed to a deal everyone called atrocious from the get-go, I believe he was the GM of record when an already-old and injury prone David Backes was signed to a long-term deal, I believe he was the GM of record when Dougie Hamilton was dealt away for a handful of picks, and I believe he was the GM of record when the B's took the one good player to come out of the disastrous Seguin trade, Rielly Smith, and dealt him for Jimmy fucking Hayes (and yes, Marc Savard's dead contract but it still wasn't worth it), who was so gawdawful they ended up buying him out. I could be wrong on some of those things but I'm pretty confident those are all correct.
The B's culture is ultimately as outdated and broken as their owner (who is inexplicably in the Hockey Hall of Fame despite doing absolutely NOTHING to deserve the honor), they still love big, slow, overtly physical players even though the three elite talents that make up their top line are really none of those things. All their really awful moves (Rick Nash, Beleskey, Hayes, Backes) are all of those things. The only guy who fits that bill and is still ridiculously awesome is the ageless wonder who wears the C on that team.
So in short, it may not matter who has the title of GM in Boston so long as the old-fashioned guys in positions of power like Bucyk and Neely still control the general direction of the club, but if you're asking me if I think Sweeney has any real clue on how to build a winner in today's NHL, my answer at this point would be a resounding NO. Kinda tough for me to say bad things about ol' Don as I really liked him as a player.