Don Sweeney Acknowledges Holes Left From Deadline Moves

BOSTON — Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, team president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney addressed a litany of topics Wednesday at the franchise’s end-of-season press conference at TD Garden.

After acknowledging what led to the “unacceptable” season, all three stated that the Bruins would have been in a much better place had they not lost Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy to injuries for a significant part of the season.

“We’ve spoken at great length about this: The team that we currently have, (if) healthy and with the additions we intend to make this summer, I anticipate that we’ll have a playoff team and play meaningful hockey at this time of year in 2026,” Jacobs said.

Where things stood coming out of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Boston made the franchise-altering decision to move on from Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic and Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline. Each of those skaters spent significant time on the Bruins’ penalty kill.

While the forwards who were traded may stand out to most, Carlo was a top-four defenseman for the Bruins, and Boston would be remiss if it didn’t find the right player to fill his role on the blue line next season. Sweeney said he would look outside the organization, as well as its own prospects, to fill Carlo’s skates.

“It’s going to be a combination of both,” Sweeney said. “You saw players step into the vacancies of those situations and, at times, do a pretty good job, and other times struggle.

“Those are unique qualities that players grow into. They’re not ready-made. Brandon, in his case, is an elite penalty killer in the National Hockey League and Charlie Coyle is as well. That’s why their teams are going to have success in the playoffs.”

Sweeney added: “We lost quality people and quality players. That’s what made it so professionally and personally painful at the deadline, because they’ve been successful, they’re going to continue to be successful. And it’s an opportunity for somebody else to come in to take over those minutes.”

As far as looking within the organization, Sweeney and his staff will have the opportunity to watch some of the younger players in the organization.

“Providence is entering the playoffs, we’re going to see how they respond and see whether or not they can grow and graduate, for lack of a better term, graduate to be able to do it in the National Hockey League,” Sweeney said. “And if not, we’ll have to address it from the outside and probably bring in a little bit more experience.”