Bruins' Don Sweeney named a finalist for NHL's GM of the Year award
BOSTON -- While Bruins players came up well short in their quest for a Stanley Cup, general manager Don Sweeney did everything he could to put the team in a position to win. For that, Sweeney has been named a finalist for the NHL's General Manager of the Year award.
Sweeney's inclusion is a no-brainer, as he was the mastermind behind a team that made NHL history during the regular season. Boston went 65-12-5 for 135 points during the regular season, setting a new NHL record for wins and points.
The Bruins obviously came up well short of their ultimate goal, losing to the Florida Panthers in the first round in seven games. But Sweeney's moves should not be forgotten.
His first move of the offseason was the replace Bruce Cassidy at head coach, with Sweeney hiring Jim Montgomery to man the Boston bench. With 65 wins in the regular season, Montgomery set a new NHL record for the most wins by a coach in their first season with a team.
Sweeney also convinced Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to come back, signing both to team-friendly, one-year contracts.
He also bolstered Boston's depth by acquiring forward Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils for center Erik Haula. Zacha went out and put up a career season for the B's, netting 21 goals while dishing out 36 assists for 57 points. In January, Sweeney locked Zacha into a four-year contract extension.
Sweeney made a pair of impactful moves at the 2023 trade deadline, acquiring defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals, while also picking up forward Tyler Bertuzzi from the Red Wings. All three played important roles for Boston down the stretch and into the postseason.
But Sweeney's biggest move was signing forward David Pastrnak to a massive eight-year contract extension that will keep the 26-year-old in Boston through the 2030-31 season. Pastrnak led the Bruins in goals (61), assists (52) and points (113) during the regular season.
Sweeney has been part of the Boston front office since 2006 and officially took over as Bruins general manager in May of 2015. He already has one GM of the Year to his name, winning the award after the 2018-19 season.
Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers and Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars were also named finalists for GM of the Year on Wednesday. This year's winner will be announced at the NHL Awards in Nashville on June 26.
