The New GM is Don Sweeney

[burstnbloom]

Adam Jones ‏@adamjones985  22s23 seconds ago
Via Stephen Harris, Rangers Asst. GM -- and former B's interim GM -- Jeff Gorton joins Sweeney and Shero as possible Chiarelli replacements.
 
So we're starting to hear some names thrown out there and I thought it made sense to have a thread dedicated to discussing the possible candidates.   
 
Don Sweeney-  He's been with the Bruins for 6 years under Chiarelli.  We know that he is tight with Cam and I'd guess its almost a foregone conclusion that he gets the job.   PSK made some very good points about Sweeney being a way to make tweaks to the system without blowing the whole thing up and I think I would be ok with that, given the success that the prior regime had. 
 
Ray Shero- Please god, no.  He was the Bruins first choice 8 years ago but turned them down over money.  He has a pretty good track record in trades, but he struggled to fill out the lower part of the roster, and was only to win 1 cup with 2 generational talents playing on his team for cheap.  I am not a fan of his top heavy team building style. 
 
Jeff Gorton -  Came up with the Bruins as a part of the O'Connell regime.  I like to think he had nothing to do with the post lockout strategy that doomed this team, but he presided over the best Bruins draft in recent memory, traded Raycroft for Rask and there are varying reports on his role in bring Chara and Savard into the fold.  He's also done wonders for player development in NY and that has been a huge problem for the Bruins.  He's an intriguing candidate. 
 
Paul Fenton - He's been Poille's understudy in Nashville for 8 years now.  He's a Springfield, MA native and his teams have been able to do quite a lot with not many resources.  They are strong with player development, they draft well, and they've pulled off some pretty great trades in the past.  I'm intrigued by him.  I just wish Trotz was still available because a Fenton/Trotz combo would be awesome in Boston. 
 
 
What are everyone else's thoughts?  Any other intriguing candidates?  
 
edit- Fenton also has other Boston ties, played at BU and his son is at MIT.  I think he'd be my top choice but I think he's the least likely. 

 

[cshea]

Gorton is interesting, but I've always wondered why his name never came up for other jobs. The interim job he did is hard to gauge how much influence he actually had over the moves made.

Here's a guy I'll throw out there:

Julien BriseBois- Yzerman's right hand man in Tampa. His title is AGM and GM of the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa's AHL team. He's young (38 years old) but has been in the league since 2000. Came up with the Habs, left the Habs for the Bolts when Yzerman took over in 2010. The Bolts have unearthed and developed some serious talent under Yzerman and BriesBois. Guys on their roster drafted and developed outside the first round- Tyler Johnson (UDFA), Ondrej Palat (7th), Alex Killorn (4th), Cedric Paquette (4th), Nikita Nesterov (5th),Mark Barberio (6th). They have done an exceptional job with the draft and player development. Trades and free agency have been mostly wins for the Bolts as well. I think they should give him a call and at least talk to him.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Tea leaves say Sweeney and so do I.

 

[finsterfan]

BriseBois interests me for the reasons stated above but I think it will be Sweeney. Player development needs to be a focus and that starts with drafting.

 

[BigMike]

I think it will be Sweeney.    Gorton is the only alternative in my book, because I have heard he and Junior used to hang out together and even the wives are friends
 
I don't expect an exhaustive search

 

[cshea]

Friedman says the B's were scheduled to interview Shero and Fenton this week, and that they've asked the Rangers about Gorton. Slats apparently doesn't like to give access until the Rangers get eliminated so that may be an issue. Friedman also hypothesizes that JFJ and Tom Fitzgerald could be candidates.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/30-thoughts-how-playoffs-affect-draft-selection/#__federated=1

Also, Dreger tweeted earlier in the morning that the B's and Oilers are still talking Chiarelli compensation, but not to expect a resolution anytime soon. I would imagine we get something out of this, which is nice.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully there is some resolution soon.

 

[soxfan121]

 
Ray Shero- Please god, no.  He was the Bruins first choice 8 years ago but turned them down over money.  He has a pretty good track record in trades, but he struggled to fill out the lower part of the roster, and was only to win 1 cup with 2 generational talents playing on his team for cheap.  I am not a fan of his top heavy team building style. 

 
I've seen this a lot, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Aren't the Bruins loaded with "lower part of the roster" guys? Isn't the issue making trades of veteran(s) on big money contracts? Doesn't adding "quality in the top 6" make the most sense and letting the end of the roster sort itself out given the number of marginal assets hanging around?
 
Shero might be the wrong guy, but the skill set you (and others) deride seems to be the skill set needed to get this Cup contender back into the top-end mix...right? 

 

[Dummy Hoy]

Shero drafted Jordan staal with the #2 pick in his first year as GM, inheriting a team that already had Crosby and Malkin in the fold. Here is a list (c&p from wikipedia) of his drafted players:
 

• 2 C Jordan Staal
• 32 D Carl Sneep
• 65 D Brian Strait
• 125 G Chad Johnson
• 185 D Timo Seppänen

 

• 20 C Angelo Esposito
• 51 C Keven Veilleux
• 78 D Robert Bortuzzo
• 80 C Casey Pierro-Zabotel
• 111 L Luca Caputi
• 118 D Alex Grant
• 141 D Jake Muzzin
• 171 C Dustin Jeffrey

 

• 120 C Nathan Moon
• 150 G Alexander Pechurskiy
• 180 G Patrick Killeen
• 210 D Nick D'Agostino
• 30 D Simon Després
• 61 D Philip Samuelsson
• 63 R Ben Hanowski
• 121 R Nick Petersen
• 123 D Alex Velischek
• 151 C Andy Bathgate
• 181 D Viktor Ekbom

 

• 20 R Beau Bennett
• 80 R Bryan Rust
• 110 R Tom Kühnhackl
• 140 L Kenny Agostino
• 152 D Joe Rogalski
• 170 D Reid McNeill

 

• 23 D Joe Morrow
• 54 D Scott Harrington
• 144 C Dominik Uher
• 174 W Josh Archibald
• 209 C Scott Wilson

 

• 8 D Derrick Pouliot
• 22 D Olli Määttä
• 52 C Theodor Blueger
• 81 C Oskar Sundqvist
• 83 G Matt Murray
• 92 C Matia Marcantuoni
• 113 G Sean Maguire
• 143 C Clark Seymour
• 173 R Anton Zlobin

 

• 44 G Tristan Jarry
• 77 C Jake Guentzel
• 119 D Ryan Segalla
• 164 D Dane Birks
• 179 C Blaine Byron
• 209 L Troy Josephs

 
Not the guy I want running my drafts. He was able to make a couple of solid trades for veteran guys, but he didn't have a great track record of acquiring top 6 guys. the only one he really did was Marian Hossa, which granted was huge. It's not really his fault Hossa didn't resign either, as Shero offered a pretty solid deal. 
 
Anyways, I fail to see how Shero has a track record of acquiring (or developing) top 6 guys.

 

[cshea]

To be fair, Shero pulled off more than just the Hossa heist. Ryan Whitney for Chris Kunitz and then James Neal AND Matt Niskanen for Alex Gologoski were huge wins for Pittsburgh. They were established NHL talents when acquired so he didn't really develop them, but they were perfect fits.

I agree with the Shero's abysmal draft and development track record though. He'd be pretty low on my list of candidates.

Edit: researching Shero led me down a Sher/Penguins wiki wormhole. His first draft pick was Jordan Staal, 2nd overall in 2006. 3rd overall that year? Jonathan Toews. Imagine Crosby, Malkin and Toews on the same team.

 

[FelixMantilla]

Does this all mean that Sweeney doesn't want the job? Or are the Bruins just doing their due diligence?

 

[cshea]

Due diligence, I assume. I haven't read anything that suggests Sweeney is no longer the favorite.

 

[BigMike]

Due diligence, I assume. I haven't read anything that suggests Sweeney is no longer the favorite.

 
The one guy who posts at HFBoards (bcbruin) and has established some credibility in the past as a front office insider has suggested Gorton is the current favorite.  I would be surprised, but as previously mentioned he has a personal relationship with junior

 

[Dummy Hoy]

To be fair, Shero pulled off more than just the Hossa heist. Ryan Whitney for Chris Kunitz and then James Neal AND Matt Niskanen for Alex Gologoski were huge wins for Pittsburgh. They were established NHL talents when acquired so he didn't really develop them, but they were perfect fits.

I agree with the Shero's abysmal draft and development track record though. He'd be pretty low on my list of candidates.

Edit: researching Shero led me down a Sher/Penguins wiki wormhole. His first draft pick was Jordan Staal, 2nd overall in 2006. 3rd overall that year? Jonathan Toews. Imagine Crosby, Malkin and Toews on the same team.

I forgot about the Neal deal. that was legit.
I don't like Chris Kunitz and think he's only productive because of Crosby, but I suppose that is also a trade in Shero's favor. I wouldn't describe Kunitz as a top 6 guy in a vacuum though.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

 
I've seen this a lot, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Aren't the Bruins loaded with "lower part of the roster" guys? Isn't the issue making trades of veteran(s) on big money contracts? Doesn't adding "quality in the top 6" make the most sense and letting the end of the roster sort itself out given the number of marginal assets hanging around?
 
Shero might be the wrong guy, but the skill set you (and others) deride seems to be the skill set needed to get this Cup contender back into the top-end mix...right? 

No.

 

[McDrew]

Per ESPN:
The B's are down to their final 4 candidates, which definetely includes Sweeney, and could include Shero, Gorton, and some unnamed 4th person. 
The article is basically ESPN throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks though, don't bother clicking. 

 

[burstnbloom]

 
I've seen this a lot, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Aren't the Bruins loaded with "lower part of the roster" guys? Isn't the issue making trades of veteran(s) on big money contracts? Doesn't adding "quality in the top 6" make the most sense and letting the end of the roster sort itself out given the number of marginal assets hanging around?
 
Shero might be the wrong guy, but the skill set you (and others) deride seems to be the skill set needed to get this Cup contender back into the top-end mix...right? 

 
No. I think you're oversimplifying his warts.  Shero was gifted 2 generational talents as his top 2 Centers.  His teams consistently struggled in the depth department which led to year after year of disappointing playoff performances.  Teams with superior supporting casts consistently outplayed the Penguins and they only won 1 cup despite those two great players playing in their prime.  He pulled off some fantastic trades but his ability to build a team is very questionable.  
 
The Bruins need a team builder.  They aren't going to get top 5 draft picks very often (hopefully) and will need to build strong sustainable depth through player development and shrewd trades.  I see no evidence that Shero is anywhere close to the guy to do that. 

 

[cshea]

Shero and Fenton were the only confirmed outside interviews. I'd imagine the finalists are those 2 and Sweeney. Jeff Gorton seems likely to be the 4th candidate, but I haven't read anything about the Rangers giving the B's permission to interview him. He's been rumored to be Slats heir apparent, so I'd imagine getting permission from the Rangers may be difficult.

 

[TheRealness]

Shero and Fenton were the only confirmed outside interviews. I'd imagine the finalists are those 2 and Sweeney. Jeff Gorton seems likely to be the 4th candidate, but I haven't read anything about the Rangers giving the B's permission to interview him. He's been rumored to be Slats heir apparent, so I'd imagine getting permission from the Rangers may be difficult.

 
Maybe it's Mike Babcock and he will be our new coach/GM overlord? 

 

[cshea]

Doesn't sound like it. Babcock said he was going to take 10 days to think things over and then he would sit down with Holland to figure things out.

I'm not sure who else the Bruins interviewed. JFJ maybe? That would be horrifying. I can't think of any other internal options. External, maybe BriseBois, Gorton and maybe Fitzgerald.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I think the deadline to hire someone would be coming within the next week or so. Whoever the new GM is needs to start formulating a plan and laying the groundwork. FA and the draft aren't that far away and if they want to make any changes to the current roster, they'll need to start figuring out how to swap some players out.
 
That is, of course, if the candidate is external to the organization. If it's Sweeney, then they can probably wait a bit longer.

 

[cshea]

It's not Gorton. Slats says no.

http://nypost.com/2015/05/04/rangers-resist-bruins-attempts-to-pry-away-assistant-gm-gorton/

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I wonder how Gorton feels about that? The NYR will most likely need to give him a make-good increase or some sort of promise that he's next in line. Otherwise that's complete bullshit to not allow a guy to get a better job.
 
There must have been some sort of internal conversation with Gorton because I can't imagine he wouldn't try to get an interview.

 

[cshea]

He's been rumored to be Slats' heir once Slats moves on. Slats is 71 years-old now and I can't imagine he stays on as GM for much more than another 2 or 3 years. Gorton has been with NYR for 8-years, so I'm sure he knows where he stands in the organization and his chances at being handed the keys some day.

 

[cshea]

Forget Shero, he's the Devils new GM.

(Sorry Mike)

 

[jsinger121]

Happy that it's not Shero. Let him screw up another organization.

 

[Greg29fan]

Given NJ's recent draft history and their propensity to draft kids from the US he should fit right in.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Sweeney, maybe Gorton, and an unnamed fourth contender remain?
 
The "exhaustive search" is feeling more like a work everyday. C'mon, who's it gonna be?

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Forget Shero, he's the Devils new GM.

(Sorry Mike)

Watch NJ go on to hire Gorton and Don Sweeney so they they can have 3 GMs who share the job.

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Edit: the Herald take below.
 
If they can talk to Gorton at all, apparently won't come until after the Rangers are done.
 

New York Rangers' assistant general manager Jeff Gorton may be a good candidate to fill the Bruins' vacant GM position, but that doesn't mean they'll even get a shot at hiring him.
Rangers' GM Glen Sather told the New York Post on Monday that he won't be granting teams' permission to speak with Gorton while the Blueshirts are still involved in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Sather might not even allow Gorton, whom the Post reported has at least one year left on his contract with New York, to talk to the Bruins after the Rangers' season is over.
“I haven’t given permission to anybody to speak to anyone and I won’t as long as we’re playing,” Glen Sather told The Post. “And there’s a question whether I would, anyway, after it’s over.”
The 71-year-old Sather could well have Gorton in mind to be his successor, which is what that last sentence might suggest. But if Gorton has been given any kind of assurances of that happening, that has not been made public.
Meanwhile, another potential GM came off the market today when Ray Shero, who some had linked with the B's, was hired by the New Jersey Devils.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

That sounds like Sather is trying to scare teams away so he doesn't have to outright refuse permission. He knows the Bruins aren't going to wait until June in hopes that Sather will grant permission.

Slimy, but effective move.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

That sounds like Slather is trying to scare teams away so he doesn't have to outright refuse permission. He knows the Bruins aren't going to wait until June in hopes that Slather will grant permission.

Slimy, but effective move.

Unless Gorton resigns as AGM of the NYR...
 
Edit: Alternatively, this is Sather's way of requiring compensation from the Bruins.

 

[thestardawg]

Consider the source I suppose but one of the gents interviewed is a friend of a friend and Neely told him that Julien will not be coming back and the new GM will be the one swinging the axe.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Sounds legit.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

I would imagine they are only holding out on this because of Julien's contract.

 

[cshea]

I would imagine they are only holding out on this because of Julien's contract.

Why were they willing to eat the Chiarelli contract, but not Julien? That's the only thing that hasn't made sense to me. Maybe Chiarelli makes less, but that is all I can come up with.

If Fluto's report that Neely wanted to fire Julien back in January, then I see no way Julien returns. Neely is not going to hire someone and then get overruled on Julien again.

 

[Eddie Jurak]

Why were they willing to eat the Chiarelli contract, but not Julien? That's the only thing that hasn't made sense to me. Maybe Chiarelli makes less, but that is all I can come up with.

If Fluto's report that Neely wanted to fire Julien back in January, then I see no way Julien returns. Neely is not going to hire someone and then get overruled on Julien again.

Good question. I don't think they are considering keeping Julien because of his contract - I just think they want to try to pawn him off on another team.

I read somewhere that if CJ was fired, and hired somewhere else for less than his Bruins salary, that the Bruins were responsible for the difference. If that's true maybe they are just hanging on to get him to waive that or agree to a buyout.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I don't think Julien gets fired at all - out of respect for the guy, why would you hold onto him and keep him in limbo?
 
I believe they like him as a coach and will ride him out for another season and reassess next offseason.

 

[cshea]

We'll see. I think Julien's only shot at staying is if Sweeney is the hire and Sweeney somehow convinces Cam to keep Claude.

 

[teddykgb]

If you were dead set on firing him you wouldn't make the new GM be the guy to do it.  That sets up endless debates about the merits of that first "big" decision and I don't see how that's helpful for a new GM in a pressure job.  You had the perfect opportunity to create a "clean slate" no questions asked for the new hire, I can't imagine  leaving that decision for the new GM if you're 100% sure what you want to happen.

 

[The B’s Knees]

Looks like the Leafs are interested in Gorton as well. Tweet from Dreger:
 
"Also told Leafs would like to speak with NYR asst gm Jeff Gorton about gm job in Tor, however, at the moment NYR aren't granting permission."

 

[RedOctober3829]

 

Stephen Harris ‏@SDHarris16  36m36 minutes ago
Don Sweeney, expected to be named #NHLBruins' GM, met Friday with Claude Julien. Does meeting mean Julien staying as B's coach? Seems so
 

 

[burstnbloom]

As expected.  This is all on Cam now.  I'm cautiously optimistic. 

 

[Reardon's Beard]

I like this move. Let's make this team all about Bruins Hockey.

 

[BoSoxFink]

I still would like Julien gone. Come on Cam, don't give in!

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I still would like Julien gone. Come on Cam, don't give in!

Change for changes sake is idiotic. Who do you suggest they replace him with?

 

[BoSoxFink]

Change for changes sake is idiotic. Who do you suggest they replace him with?

I would have to look into it more but I would take Todd McLellan. I really just want a total shift in style of play and you will not get that with Claude.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I would have to look into it more but I would take Todd McLellan. I really just want a total shift in style of play and you will not get that with Claude.

You mean Todd McLellan?

The same guy that couldn't make it out of the conference finals with a loaded sharks team?

Try again stripes.

 

[BoSoxFink]

You mean Todd McLellan?

The same guy that couldn't make it out of the conference finals with a loaded sharks team?

Try again stripes.

I don't think it's McLellan's fault when your top star continuously no shows in the playoffs. What had Julien won before he was with the Bruins?

What you are claiming is that a coach can't be good if they haven't won a Stanley cup ever. There's a first time for everything.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I don't think it's McLellan's fault when your top star continuously no shows in the playoffs. What had Julien won before he was with the Bruins?

What you are claiming is that a coach can't be good if they haven't won a Stanley cup ever. There's a first time for everything.

I'm not claiming anything; I'm not the one suggesting to replace the current Stanley Cup winning coach with a guy that has struggled to get out of the first or second round most years.

And don't talk to Claude about no-shows and injuries. Claude has done more with way less. But you've already made up your mind on Claude so no rational conversation will matter to you.