Don Sweeney Offers Update On Bruins’ Mentality Heading Into Trade Deadline

The Eastern Conference is so congested that on any given night, teams are moving up and down the standings and in and out of a playoff spot.

The Boston Bruins entered their matchup against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night on the outside with two games remaining until the two-week 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney spoke during the second period of the TNT broadcast to update viewers on Boston’s approach to the March 7 trade deadline.

“Well, it’s been a little unique for us this year, getting out of the gate not as fast as we would like, and we’re in the middle of things,” Sweeney said. “It’s a tough exercise to sort of play both sides of the street, but I think that’s almost every year what a general manager is required to do and test what’s out there, what’s available, and how you can improve, hopefully, how you can improve the whole hockey club. We have some areas we would like to, but we have to keep an eye (out).”

Sweeney acknowledged that missing Hampus Lindholm on the blue line in Boston has affected the Bruins this season. However, Sweeney isn’t using the injured defenseman as an excuse, either.

“Everybody goes through injuries. You’ve got to battle through it,” Sweeney said. “You’ve got to find a way. While I’m out there trying to improve our club, you know, if we have more injuries or we don’t do the job between now and the deadline, we may have to take a different path.”

Bruins president Cam Neely admitted last month that the franchise might approach the trade deadline differently than it has over the last few seasons, preparing “two paths” — one where the club will be buyers and the other would mean “retooling” the roster.

After the conclusion of the Bruins-Rangers game at Madison Square Garden, the Black and Gold will host the Vegas Golden Knights at TD Garden on Saturday afternoon.