Sweeney Looks Back on Bruins' Development Camp, Busy Offseason

BOSTON - Bruins general manager Don Sweeney met with the media on Friday afternoon to look back on the club's five-day Development Camp, as well as the team's offseason thus far. Here's a rundown:

Conversations Continue

Sweeney said that while the team addressed a number of needs during free agency with additions of Linus Ullmark, Erik Haula, Nick Foligno, Tomas Nosek, and Derek Forbort, as well as the re-signings of Taylor Hall, Brandon Carlo, and Mike Reilly, conversations regarding how to improve the club are ongoing.
"We're constantly exploring options and conversations," said Sweeney. "You know the trade situations sort of die down after free agency and everybody sort of re-evaluates where they're at. But there had been some ongoing prior to that that we'll continue to explore.
"If we can improve our roster, we're going to. But we certainly addressed some of the needs and we have some younger players that want to continue to vie for spots and opportunity. I don't think any team believes they're a finished product sitting here in August."

Leaving the Door Open

Long-time Bruins center David Krejci
announced last week
that he'd be returning to his native Czech Republic for the upcoming season, though Sweeney acknowledged there remains a possibility for the 35-year-old to return at somewhere down the line.
"Ultimately with David making a decision, we're wondering whether or not he may return at some point in time," said Sweeney. "That's an open-ended…we'll still see if somewhere down the road, David Krejci opens the door back up. But again, that's his own family decision and there's no timelines as I indicated before with David."

The Captain's Contract

While Krejci's future remains somewhat in flux, Patrice Bergeron will, once again, pace the Bruins as the club's top-line center. The 2021-22 campaign is, however, the final year of the captain's eight-year contract that is worth an annual NHL cap hit of $6.875 million.
Sweeney said on Friday afternoon that he has had conversations with Bergeron and his representative, Kent Hughes, about the 36-year-old's future but that any talks between them would remain confidential.
"We'll keep those as private, as we do with all the others and let him decide what path he wants to take," said Sweeney. "Obviously it's completely open door for how long Patrice wants to play the game for us. We'll leave it at that."

Finding Middle Ground

Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy
said on Thursday
that Charlie Coyle is the "obvious choice" to get the first crack at replacing Krejci as Boston's No. 2 center, an opportunity that Sweeney believes should excite the Weymouth native, who is expected to be fully healthy entering the 2021-22 season after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
"Bruce indicated that Charlie would likely get that opportunity and we're excited because he's healthy and coming off of knee surgery where he just didn't have the same level of jump and acceleration for the entire season last year," said Sweeney.
"Went through the procedure this year, his knee is back healthy, and he'll be ready to go. Hopefully we see an energized Charlie Coyle and really the excitement level of playing with Taylor and Smith in all likelihood, starting there.
"Could be other players, whether it's Nick or a younger player that surprises us on the right side [be in the mix]? Ultimately, I've said it before, we'll likely have to do it by committee to some degree. It's not ideal."
Ultimately, Sweeney is confident in the depth the Bruins have at the position after signing Haula, Foligno, and Nosek, on top of the continued development of Jack Studnicka and Trent Frederic.
"Fortunately, we still have a No. 1 center in Patrice and the level of play that he upholds. Then it's got to be a little bit by committee and growth," said Sweeney. "We've got Jack there. And if we can't do it internally, we're going to have to look externally. It's an important position. We identified it even through the Draft with [Brett] Harrison. You have to have strength up the middle of the ice. A lot of teams would identify that and we're no different in that regard.
"There's always a level of exposure and fear that you might not be deep enough. But again, we tried to address it in free agency and bringing in players that can play several positions. And the guys are excited. Ultimately, that's the path we had to take and the results will dictate whether or not we're gonna do it well."

That's A Wrap

Sweeney was pleased to welcome back Development Camp after having to scrap the annual event last summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The GM - who began his front office career with the Bruins in player development - believes the week-long, orientation-like camp is crucial to creating a strong relationship between the players and the organization.
"Everybody is a little unique in where they are in their own trajectory, whether this is the first time coming to camp or whether they've been to several camps, and where they are on their own teams also," said Sweeney. "But I do believe what we tried to accomplish this week is us learning about the players on an individual level - where they are with their skill and also where they are off the ice and how they fit and vice versa, how the player feels about our organization, whether they've just been drafted or they're returning, how much they've grown as a person, how much we've continued to evolve, what the opportunity is for them."
While it is far too early, in most cases, to determine where or how the camp participants may fit into the Bruins roster, Sweeney believes there is plenty to be gained, particularly when it comes to understanding how the players operate off the ice.
"This isn't a week when we necessarily find out if anyone is ready to play in the NHL," said Sweeney. "But we sure as heck find out what their habits are like, how hard they're willing to work, and what type of teammate they're going to be."
The camp concluded with a day of scrimmaging on Friday. Team Black took the final exhibition, 4-2, over Team White behind goals from Parker Ford, Trevor Kuntar, Quinn Olson, and Dustyn McFaul. Curtis Hall and Anton Malmstrom added the goals for Team White.

Hoping for Moore

John Moore has played just 29 games over the past two seasons as injuries have wreaked havoc on his ability to solidify a consistent spot in the Bruins lineup. The 30-year-old underwent a hip arthroscopy and labral repair on March 22, leaving him with a recovery of five to six months.
Sweeney said that the defenseman is "doing very well" and back on the ice without limitations some four-plus months after the procedure. Moore is expected to be fully healthy for training camp, giving the Bruins a solid veteran presence and depth option on the blue line.
"Depth and experience, I think, is important for us," said Sweeney. "You saw us use players as we went through the playoffs last year. I think John with a wealth of experience - over 500 games in the National Hockey League - hopefully now he remains healthy, most importantly. He's gone through shoulder surgery and hip surgery, so it's been unfortunate for him and that's part of his inability to grab a full-time lineup spot with us over the last couple seasons because he's just had breakdowns in where his body's at physically.
"But from a depth perspective and experience standpoint, I think he adds to our group and to play both sides of the ice. For us, it's important. It's gonna be a challenge for all of our players in terms of what ice time they're gonna get, the incumbents with the new guys coming in. We have to put it all together. We're fortunate that we've got a player that's healthy and hopefully he remains as such."