Don Sweeney Gives Key Update On Timeline For Bruins Coach Search

Now that Don Sweeney knows he’s going to be with the Bruins for at least a few more years, his search for a new collaborative partner will likely go into overdrive.

Earlier this week, Boston announced a two-year contract extension for the general manager. Sweeney is now signed on to build the Bruins roster through at least the 2028 season.

Sweeney has a long checklist he must complete this offseason, and the most pressing item is to hire a new head coach. In an interview with the Boston Herald, the GM acknowledged incumbents Joe Sacco and Jay Leach are in the running, and he also discussed how a resolution to his own situation might affect the hunt for a new bench boss.

“Does (the resolved contract extension) help in terms of alignment when we’re talking? Yeah, there’s no question it takes away some of the question marks in the process,” he acknowledged in an interview with veteran Herald reporter Steve Conroy.

” … So to have a line of communication between the coach and the GM, it’s always an important variable, so I’m appreciative we have that. … The timing is probably unique in the fact that we’re going through a coaching search, but deep down, I think I was separating the personal and the professional in my approach to things.”

According to Conroy, Sweeney wouldn’t name any specific external candidates for the job. He did, however, tell Conroy the team isn’t waiting on any other teams to bow out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in order to speak with potential options. That takes a few intriguing options from the remaining teams — Carolina, Florida, Edmonton and Dallas — off the table.

The Bruins have been connected to a few coaches who have already landed new gigs. Former Boston coach Mike Sullivan would have made plenty of sense, but he landed with the New York Rangers. Sweeney’s former teammate, Rick Tocchet, was a candidate, the former confirmed to the Herald. Ultimately, Tocchet returned to Philadelphia, where he spent the bulk of his playing career, to coach the Flyers.

While Sweeney didn’t offer any specifics in terms of a timeline, he did acknowledge the team will have a new coach “well before” the NHL draft, where the B’s will select No. 7. That’s not surprising. The draft is in late June, and it would be a little alarming, quite frankly, if the search dragged on that long, particularly because missing the playoffs with an interim coach presumably gave Boston a major head-start on the process.