Sweeney teardown: a season too late?

[I am not exposed]

The Lindholm and Zadorov contracts are going to hurt them down the line.

Should they have avoided these big UFA contracts and gone for a rebuild sooner?

 

[BostonBruins11]

28m in cap space next year

 

[McGarnagle]

Last year they had Ullmark and Swayman to carry them to the point where they were competitive enough to justify keeping it together. If they blew it up they probably could've traded Debrusk and maybe got a first, but not much else.

 

[Pablo El Perro]

The Lindholm and Zadorov contracts are going to hurt them down the line.

Should they have avoided these big UFA contracts and gone for a rebuild sooner?

Probably if it's a full rebuild. But with Pasta, Mac, and Swayman, among others, they are a free agent or two away from a re-tool.

 

[Nick Hansen]

28m in cap space next year

 

[Gizmo Tkachuk]

28m in cap space next year

Will Sweeney be the one spending it though?

 

[viper0220]

The Lindholm and Zadorov contracts are going to hurt them down the line.

Should they have avoided these big UFA contracts and gone for a rebuild sooner?

If they want to go full rebuild, Lindholm and Zadorov are not going to keep them from getting top picks. And they have to be at the floor floor.

 

[Khelandros]

28m in cap space next year

Boston and pretty much every other team.

 

[Coffee]

Boston and pretty much every other team.

Except every other team isn’t a top free agent destination choice

 

[centipede2233]

I would think they will go after Sam Bennett.

 

[Khelandros]

Except every other team isn’t a top free agent destination choice

Neither is Boston.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

The Lindholm and Zadorov contracts are going to hurt them down the line.

Should they have avoided these big UFA contracts and gone for a rebuild sooner?

So coming off the best season ever in the NHL, with legit stud players in their prime (Pasta, McAvoy, Swayman) they should have torn it down? IMO when you have the run the Bruins have had, you try to max it out and see if you find chemistry and get hot in the PO's.

 

[MessierII]

This isn’t a tear down at all.

 

[Zalos]

Boston still has a franchise forward, a top D, and a top goaltender. This isn't a teardown, it's just a retool. They will pick up free agents and come back stronger next year or the year after that.

 

[Jumptheshark]

The Lindholm and Zadorov contracts are going to hurt them down the line.

Should they have avoided these big UFA contracts and gone for a rebuild sooner?

Not a teardown, He is going to try to rebuild on the fly

 

[PAZ]

Boston arguably got more by waiting a year. IIRC last year's TDL rentals went for peanuts compared to this year. The timing of the teardown was fine, both of those contracts were garbage the moment ink hit the paper.

 

[olli]

I think they’re going through a retool similar to what LA did when they traded away almost anyone with value apart from Kopitar/Doughty/Quick. Also I haven’t heard anyone mention that Boston themselves did a bit of a mini retool back in 2015ish when they traded Lucic and Hamilton and probably others that I’m forgetting. Remember they had 3 firsts in 2015 even tho 2 of them were busts. But they kept the core of Bergeron, Marchand Krejci, Chara, Rask and other guys I can’t remember. Obviously they don’t have a Bergeron or even a C as good as Krejci this time to build around so they’re more likely to fail. They’ll either succeed and be competitive before Pasta and McAvoy are past their prines or they’ll be in the mushy middle by trying to build back up too fast. Or they’ll just commit to a full rebuild and get insane hauls for Pasta and McAvoy.

 

[BB88]

Except every other team isn’t a top free agent destination choice

Neither is Boston right now

 

[Coffee]

Neither is Boston right now

Fair enough

 

[BB88]

Not a teardown, He is going to try to rebuild on the fly

That just so rarely work..

Last time they had a chance because there was Bergeron& Krejci in the system at C
(Bergeron/Krejci/Rask/Pasta/Marchand)

Now there’s absolutely nothing at C

 

[BB88]

Fair enough

When you don’t have a legit 1C or a 2C it’s a tough sell

Especially with how aggressive some other top teams are, Vegas, Florida etc. They aren’t afraid of throwing money around and going after bigger names

 

[John Mandalorian]

So coming off the best season ever in the NHL, with legit stud players in their prime (Pasta, McAvoy, Swayman) they should have torn it down? IMO when you have the run the Bruins have had, you try to max it out and see if you find chemistry and get hot in the PO's.

Best season ever = losing in the first round?

What a strange thing to say.

 

[Terrier]

Neither is Boston.

Actually, players like it in Boston, nice city.

 

[centipede2233]

It’s a retool. I guess it took Sweeney to fire 2 jack adams coaches to realize coaching wasn’t the issue.

 

[Terrier]

Trade deadline produced a much-needed Bruins teardown, and Don Sweeney should own up to it - The Boston Globe

Sweeney, quite appropriately, tore it down and that included trading captain Brad Marchand. It’s mystifying and disappointing the GM just wouldn’t be so blunt to call a teardown a teardown.

www.bostonglobe.com