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Don Sweeney Wins GM of the Year

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Don Sweeney has come full circle with the Boston Bruins organization. He started as a player, moved to the front office, later became the General Manager, and has now won GM of the year. He beat out fellow nominees Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues and Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes. General Manager of the Year is voted on by all of the General Managers in the league, so this is not only an honor but it shows how well a GM is regarded by their peers.

Before the NHL Awards, speaking on his nomination, Don Sweeney told reporters, “It’s obviously a privilege to being acknowledged by your peer group. A lot of work goes in. Obviously, it shares a reflection of the organization overall; the support you get throughout. It’s a little bit hard for us as the Boston Bruins to be fully on board and celebrating and such. But like I said, it’s a testament to the organization overall to be here.”

Where It Started

(Getty Images)

Sweeney was a defenceman drafted by the Bruins in 1984. He made his NHL debut in the 1988-89 season, and played with the Bruins until the 2002-03 season. He played for one more year with the Dallas Stars before retiring. During his 15 year tenure wearing #32 for the Bruins, he played in over 1,000 games. Wearing the Spoked B, he recorded 52 goals and 210 assists, equaling 262 points.

Becoming GM

On May 20th 2015, Sweeney officially signed on as the Bruins General Manager, taking over from Peter Chiarelli. The biggest immediate obstacle he faced was the salary cap. Chiarelli had a tendency to sign players to large and extended contracts that left little room against the cap. Sweeney had to make some bold moves, such as trading longtime fan-favorites Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton. He’s had no hesitation trading fan-favorites to do what he believes is best for the team. Most recently he traded defenseman Adam McQuaid to the New York Rangers prior to this season. McQuaid was arguably the last of the old guard of hockey; the enforcer who would drop the gloves in a split-second to change the game’s momentum (or just because he wanted to). It was a gamble that paid off.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett)

The final splash Sweeney made this season was trading for Charlie Coyle from the Minnesota Wild for Ryan Donato and a 2019 conditional fifth-round pick at the trade deadline. In 21 regular season games Coyle notched two goals and four assists, but it was in the post season where he excelled. He earned a plus-nine rating with nine goals and seven assists.

Looking Ahead

The Bruins fell just short this season, losing Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to the St. Louis Blues. The window could be closing on the Bruins core group of Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand. Sweeney is fully aware and rumors are swirling that he intends to make a big splash to get the boys in black and gold back to the Finals. Bold moves will likely be necessary, and the GM of the Year has shown time and again that he’s up to the task.

Brian Gionta Could Have What It Takes

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Up to this point in the season the Bruins have been just as good as any team in the league. They might not have the star power that we see on teams like Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh. However, as a unit the B’s have been dominant. Since December 1st, they’ve put up a record of 28-8-4, which has propelled them into a comfortable second place spot in the Atlantic. But the NHL trade deadline is all about GM’s evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of their team and making moves accordingly. As strong as the team looked heading down the stretch, Sweeney still saw one flaw that the Bruins have. That’s where Brian Gionta comes in.

In Comes Gionta

A good portion of the Bruins success has been thanks to their youth. Prior to the deadline, they were the 12th youngest team in the NHL with an average age of under 27. This is great for the future of the whole organization, but raised some questions about how they’d handle playoff hockey. With Gionta being unsigned and expressing interest in making a return to the NHL, the opportunity was too good to pass up. He’s played in over 1,000 regular season games to go with another 112 in the playoffs. That’s about a season and a half worth of playoff hockey.

Having hoisted the Stanley Cup with New Jersey back in 2003, Gionta is no stranger to big games. Even before turning pro, he played in three national championships while playing at Boston College. The first two ended in heart-wrenching losses, but he finally took home the ‘ship while serving as team captain during his senior year. He’s also represented the United States twice in the Olympics, twice in the IIHF world championships, and three times at the World Junior tournament.   All of this in addition to his playoff experience tells us that Gionta knows a thing or two about do-or-die situations.

Gionta Has What It Takes

Gionta has also proven to be a natural leader.   He’s worn the “C” for Boston College, Montreal, Buffalo, and recently for Team U.S.A at the Olympic Games.   Standing at just 5’7 he’s always relied on his strong work ethic to compensate for his lack of size.   Even going back to his days in youth hockey, he could never just be good.  Being his height, he needed to be phenomenal in order to be taken seriously- so that’s what he worked toward.  Through his dedication Gionta developed into a shifty NHL forward and saw plenty of success during his prime.  His best season came back in 2005-06, where he led the Devils with 89 points.

But even with his skill-set Gionta’s work ethic has always been a huge part of his game. He grinds it out in the corners and has a willingness to take a beating out in front of the net. At his height he can take crosschecks from a defenseman, but Gionta manages to stand his ground. This tenacity should fit in well with the Bruins style of play, and it’s been great to see the success that he’s had so far.  Through his first two games, Gionta has put up three assists while playing along-side Danton Heinen and David Backes.

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He really has everything that a team needs heading into the playoffs.   Gionta comes with experience, determination, leadership, and still has some skill left after all these years.  The B’s only have six remaining players from the 2011 cup winning team, so it’s nice to add another guy who’s been there, done that.  Despite being one of the less talked about moves at the deadline, Sweeney might’ve found a hidden gem.

What You Need to Know About Rick Nash

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Early Sunday morning the Bruins took part in the trade deadline festivities by acquiring forward Rick Nash. In return, the B’s sent Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey to New York along with prospect Ryan Lindgren, a 2018 first round pick, and a 2019 seventh. It’s a gamble by Sweeney seeing that he’s giving away some future assets. However, Nash is a big-name player who should help down the stretch.

Early Career

The veteran winger was taken first overall back in 2002 by Columbus and remained there for nine years. Unfortunately for Nash, he was dragged into a lengthy rebuilding process and didn’t see the playoffs until his sixth season. But even despite being on a team consistently in the NHL’s basement, Nash managed to put up big numbers. He became the face of the franchise and was eventually named team captain. In 2008, Nash scored what many called the “goal of the year”, and was nominated for “Play of the Year” at the ESPY’s.

In the 2012 offseason Nash was part of a blockbuster deal that sent him and Steven Delisle to New York in exchange for Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, and Tim Erixon. Nash began his career as a Ranger with one of his best seasons to date, tallying 42 points through 44 games in the year of the lockout. Things were looking good for both Nash and the Rangers, but the 2013-14 season saw a sharp decline. He put up 39 points through 65 games and was only good for ten points during their Stanley Cup run. Nash rebounded the following year by notching 42 goals and 69 points, but once again struggled for the next two seasons. As for this season, Nash currently has a stat-line of 18-10-28 through 61 games.

Impact for the Bruins

There’s no doubt that Nash is an elite goal scorer with incredible hands, but there are some concerns. Over the last few years he’s been a streaky scorer in both the regular season and playoffs. He was pretty steady in Columbus but his point totals varied quite a bit throughout his time in New York. The fact that he may be a rental leaves room for concern. It’s unclear how long he’ll be a Bruin, so one bad stretch of games could define his legacy in Boston.

This would essentially leave the Bruins with nothing out of the trade, seeing that Nash is all they acquired. This would be a tough pill to swallow considering the B’s gave up some promising young talent. Even with the Rangers retaining half of his salary, this was the only way the trade was going to work under the salary cap. Giving up key future assets is a risky move for the entire franchise. However, we’ve all seen what Rick Nash is capable of when he’s hot. His quick hands and lethal shot have been on display his entire career, but he’s also a big body who can skate. He stands at 6’4-219lbs and will add to the Bruins physical presence.

The Bruins front office are risking a lot for this move, but Rick Nash could be what it takes to get to the next level. They clearly are determined to win a cup right now, and Bruins fans should be excited.

 

Cover image courtesy of lastwordonhockey.com