Boston Bruins’ general manager, Don Sweeney, has been accused of scaring his players just before the NHL trade deadline for 2024-25. An insider told RG.org that Sweeney called a meeting with the team’s key players after firing coach Jim Montgomery in November. He warned them they needed to play better or face being traded. However, the Bruins didn’t turn things around and ended up with a disappointing record of 3 wins, 6 losses, and 2 overtime losses from February 1 to the trade deadline on March 7.
In a surprising decision, Sweeney traded away key players like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and forwards Justin Brazeau and Marc McLaughlin. “Don told the core group in November and again before the Four Nations: ‘If you don’t improve, changes are coming!’ and he followed through,” the source said. “They knew they had to step up to avoid these kind of changes.”
Brad Marchand’s Reaction
In an interview, Marchand spoke about the recent changes. “When you don’t achieve your goals, changes happen. Whether you are doing well or not, changes are necessary,” he said. “We tried to turn things around, but it just didn’t come together. Every time we aimed for the right outcome, things went wrong for us. Look at our last-minute loss to Carolina on March 6—that stuff is unpredictable.”
Criticism of Don Sweeney
Analyst Mike Grinnell criticized Sweeney for trading Marchand, calling it a major mistake. “If the Bruins had signed Brad Marchand and added other players like Brock Nelson at the deadline, we’d be aiming for the championship. Instead, Sweeney decided to give up. Anyone who thinks the Bruins are better off without Marchand is wrong,” he said.
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