It doesn't look like Don Sweeney's tenure as general manager of the Boston Bruins is ending any time in the near future.
Bruins president Cam Neely told reporters Thursday during his end-of-season press conference that the franchise plans to extend Sweeney's contract. Sweeney's current deal expires before the 2022-23 NHL season.
"I started talking with Charlie and Mr. Jacobs after the (trade) deadline about extending Don. That's my plan, is to do that. ... I'm going to sit down with Don in the next day or two and hopefully hammer something out."
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Why has it taken so long for the team to figure out Sweeney's future?
"To be honest, I really wanted to see how the year went," Neely explained. "We had a lot of changes last offseason. So I really wanted to see how that played out. January, February and March were really good months for us. The team came together and I thought we had a lot of depth. I was happy with what (Sweeney) did at the deadline."
Sweeney has helped the Bruins remain competitive in the Eastern Conference since he took over as general manager after the 2014-15 campaign. The B's have reached the playoffs in six straight seasons, but they've only advanced past the second round once over that span (2019 Stanley Cup Final loss). This season's first-round exit to the Carolina Hurricanes ended a streak of five consecutive years with the B's reaching the second round.
Sweeney has done quite well in the trade market. But he's performed quite poorly in the draft, where the Bruins have failed to find and develop enough quality young players to compliment their veteran core. His work in free agency has been mostly lackluster, too.
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Despite those issues, it looks like Sweeney is going to get another chance to build a contender in Boston.