Sweeney Recaps Bruins' 2021-22 Campaign in Season-Ending Presser

BOSTON - Don Sweeney has been in Boston for nearly 40 years. The New Brunswick native made his way to the city in 1984 for his freshman year at Harvard and, with the exception of some brief stops in Maine and Dallas along the way, the 55-year-old has really never left.
Sweeney played 15 seasons with the Bruins and is one of just six players to suit up for over one thousand games with the club. He has spent the past 16 years in Boston's front office, including the last seven as general manager.

As such, Sweeney is well aware of the expectations that the Bruins operate under on a yearly basis. And after a first-round playoff exit last week, he knows they fell well short of their ultimate goal.
"We did not accomplish what we had hoped to do in the course of the season. Only one team does, but we aspire to be that team…we stand here today acknowledging we fell short," Sweeney said on Wednesday morning during his end-of-season press conference at Warrior Ice Arena.
"I think I've been around this town long enough for people to know in terms of pressure…I'm going to lump in myself and hold myself hopefully to the standard [of the Boston Bruins]. That is why I'm in this job. The Jacobs family, the organization, the history of the Boston Bruins, you know the standard that we're being held to is exactly what I aspire to.
"To be perfectly clear and honest, it's the aspiration to be the best in class, on and off the ice. And when we're not, we want to hear about it. The criticisms are what they are and nobody likes to hear them…you need to hear them, you need to have evaluations, you need to look in the mirror and figure out what that guy staring back at you is saying. That's a big part of my makeup.
"That's the mindset that we aspire to uphold. And winning is part of that. Absolutely part of that and what we've tried to do since I've come back…have we accomplished it all the time? No. It's hard to win 50 games in a season, but you just don't hang your hat on it. You've got to go through and say, we left it on the table."
While acknowledging that the Carolina Hurricanes were one of the league's top teams throughout the regular season, Sweeney said that he believes the Bruins were capable of a longer postseason run. But, he added, the Bruins did not consistently execute well enough over the course of the seven-game series to advance.
"We knew this going in and breaking down the series in pre-scouting - you're talking about teams that finished one and two expected goals-wise. Two very, very defensively-oriented teams that were gonna be stingy," said Sweeney. "It was gonna come down to the execution piece, which give them credit, they executed just a little bit more than we did at certain times in crucial games and situations. Discipline, we took too many penalties in this series…they were a very good penalty killing team all year as well. We knew that was going to be a challenge.
"The way the games played out, when you got a lead, it was difficult to come back. I think six of those games, it spells exactly that way. Game 7, you know the margins are even smaller…really, the opportunities just weren't there. They executed just a little bit better than we did that's why I describe it as I think we left something on the table."
Now, Sweeney said, his attention will turn toward rebounding from this year's unfortunate finish, while building on the success the team had throughout a strong second half.
"You look at the team in January, February, and March and that's the team we had envisioned and played very well. Did we play our best in a Game 7 or throughout the Carolina series? No, I don't think we did," said Sweeney.
"As it stands right now, we have a competitive, really competitive group. We've been competitive. We want to remain competitive and play the right way. And that's what we're going to try and do. We think we've got the building blocks both in goal and on the back end…
"We have to look internally, first and foremost, at areas that we need to improve. That very likely falls on me with player personnel or whether or not we're going to implement internally and whether we develop properly. All of those things have to be evaluated and they will be. We're in that process already."

No Timetable on Bergeron

Sweeney said that he is prepared to give Patrice Bergeron as much time as he needs to come to a decision on his future. Boston's captain will become an unrestricted free agent this summer after 18 seasons with the Black & Gold.
"We are going to give Patrice as much time as he necessarily needs," said Sweeney. "You could look at plans B and C and such, but let's be honest, you don't replace that type of player and what he means our organization. That might take years to replace that player in that sense.
"We do have to give him all the latitude in the world to make the best decision for he and his family. We'll do that. He's given us indications that he's not going to hold us up in that sense in terms of what we may have to do subsequent to us making a decision.
"But to be perfectly honest, I don't think there's a timetable on it."
When the time does come, whether this summer or in the future, Sweeney indicated once more that there may not be another player of Bergeron's caliber - when it comes to blending on-ice brilliance with off-ice dignity and class - that comes through the organization for years to come.
"It might be years in the making in terms of, you draft a player like that, develop a player like that and you count your blessings every day," said Sweeney. "That's ultimately what it comes down to, to be perfectly honest. That's how it generally happens for most organizations. When you have an iconic player, a player that's going to go into the Hall of Fame, that's generally how it transpires. It will be no different for the Boston Bruins to find the next type - I don't know whether or not there will be another one."

Conversations on Krejci

Sweeney said he has not had any conversations with former Bruins center David Krejci over the last several months, but seemingly left open the possibility for talks about a potential return to happen at some point this offseason. Krejci, 36, departed the organization after last season and played in his native Czechia during the 2021-22 campaign, notching 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists) in 51 games for Olomouc HC.
"I certainly kept in touch with David and his camp throughout the year," said Sweeney. "He had hard decisions to make in terms of the promise he had made to his family overall. Just ultimately decided to stay and see it through. I'm sure at some point in time if he decides he wants to return, then hopefully I get a call and we can have a conversation. But I have not gone down that path for several months."
Sweeney added that with David Pastrnak headed over to Finland to join Krejci and Team Czechia at the 2022 IIHF World Championship this week, there could be some chatter between the two about a potential reunion.
"Knowing how close they are, I'm sure there will be a conversation that maybe filters back to me," Sweeney said with a smile. "Again, has to line up for a number of reasons. Still looks like he values playing the game and being highly competitive and was highly productive.
"Seamlessly, would probably fall back into knowing what our team is like and what we're trying to accomplish. But again, it's hypothetical for me at this point in time. I'll cross that bridge when it's presented."

On the Injury Front

Sweeney said that outside of Matt Grzelcyk getting set for shoulder surgery, "we've got a few other players that have some follow up [medical evaluations]," including Brad Marchand. The winger said on Monday that he was set for some discussions with the club's medical staff about a potential procedure either this summer or next.
"Probably one of the bigger surprises is March is going to have an evaluation hip-wise," said Sweeney. "So, I think he's got some tests to go. We've got several other players doing some MRIs. I don't think there's any other surgeries that are imminent. But stay tuned in case we have some updates. I think we've got some follow ups to make sure the imaging comes back how they see it, from a standpoint of time and healing as opposed to something that may be more proactive.
"In [full] disclosure, March was probably the one that was a little more surprising of having some adductor issues in the last couple of years and then just doing some work. But he's doing more exploratory stuff now to confirm that."

Wait, There's More

On if he's had any discussions with Pastrnak on extending the winger's contract, which expires at the end of the 2022-23 season: "He knows that there's mutual respect from David, me and his camp. And we'll dive right into it at the earliest possible time that we're allowed to and get that indication. There's never been an indication otherwise that this is where he wants to play. He wants to win. He's obviously a great player and an important player for us. And we'll attack it like we have done with all the other players that we feel the same way."
On his own contract situation: "I'm under contract for right now. I've had a discussion earlier in the year in terms of the indication of where my path will be and that will be determined in short order."
On whether Jake DeBrusk's trade request still stands: "I don't think things have changed, other than he's happier. Because his life improved an awful lot. And he deserves a lot of credit for that. He went out and did perform. Maybe it's a clearer head space that he defined. Not really thinking about things. Now he might take some time re-evaluate and realize that, I peeked over the neighbor's yard and the grass is not necessarily greener. My lawn is looking pretty damn good, too. Players have their own right. I've said all along, I think I know what Jake DeBrusk is capable of. Everybody would like to hold all of our guys to that standard, and to his credit, he went out and performed and played well."
On 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell - who notched 62 points (22 goals, 40 assists) in 53 games for Vancouver (WHL) in his first season in North America - potentially moving to center: "We have not had discussions internally about him definitively playing center. We do think he has attributes, but at this stage we are focused on his overall growth and development. I think this year was a really good building block here for Fabian in a lot of ways to be challenged, be pushed and see him respond. Now we'll go through the steps.
"But we haven't really thought about him at center right now. We think that his offensive upside and scoring potential and creative mindset, both on the power play and 5-on-5, he's being served well where he is and not necessarily force feeding, where a center he has to play at 200 feet all the time and play against bigger, stronger guys all the time. So, I think he's better served where he is right now."
On finding more offense, particularly during the postseason:"It's an imperative need for us to continue to foster creativity. Scoring is difficult in this league. Now, you have to have courage in order to go to the hard areas of the ice, and that's a hard one to convince anybody. If you don't have that internal drive, that's a really difficult process to try to create in a player. So those are things you have to identify at the earliest time possible and bring up.
"Regular season success and some of the things that happen don't always translate to what's going to be successful in the playoffs, and that's a tough balance. Because if you don't have those attributes in the regular season, you're not getting to the playoffs. You can't just grind yourself through and just defend every night. You can't do it.
"You can be a good defensive team and have success doing it, but you may still find yourself on the outside if you can't score enough. That's part of an area of our game, and our coaching staff - back to your question - that we need to continue to find a way."