Analyzing Bruins GM Don Sweeney's history of trade deadline moves

The Boston Bruins have not been quiet at the trade deadline during Don Sweeney's tenure as general manager, which began in 2015. 

He has made at least one deal before each of his six previous trade deadlines, and a couple times he made more than one move. In fact, Sweeney made two trades shortly before last year's deadline.

Should Bruins pay this reported asking price for a Hampus Lindholm trade?

What can we take away from his past deals as we look ahead to Monday 3 p.m. ET trade deadline?

Here's a recap of Sweeney's deadline activity.

2016

Acquired: Lee Stempniak, John-Michael Liles

Sent out: Anthony Camara, 2016 third-round pick, 2016 fourth-round pick, 2017 second-round pick, 2017 fifth-round pick

2017

Acquired: Drew Stafford

Sent out: 2018 fifth-round pick

2018

Acquired: Rick Nash, Nick Holden, Tommy Wingels, 2018 third-round pick

Sent out: Frank Vatrano, Ryan Spooner, Matt Belesky, Ryan Lindgren, 2018 first-round pick, 2019 seventh-round pick, Rob O'Gara, 2018 third-round pick, 2019 fourth-round pick

2019

Acquired: Charlie Coyle, Marcus Johansson

Sent out: Ryan Donata, 2019 second-round pick, 2019 fourth-round pick, 2020 fourth-round pick

2020

Acquired: Nick Ritchie, Ondrej Kase

Sent out: Danton Heinen, David Backes, Axel Andersson, 2020 first-round pick

2021

Acquired: Taylor Hall, Curtis Lazar, Mike Reilly

Sent out: Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick

Takeaways

Bruins love trading draft picks: The Bruins' prospect pool has not been great during Sweeney's tenure, and one reason for that is he loves trading draft picks. Sweeney has traded two first-rounders and three second-rounders in six deadlines as general manager. Despite moving all these picks, the Bruins still own all of their 2022 and future selections, with the exception of their 2022 third-rounder (but they acquired one from the Flames last summer).

Based on the prices for players who've been dealt in recent weeks, Sweeney might have to give up a first-rounder to acquire an impact player before Monday's deadline, particularly one of the top defensemen such as Hampus Lindholm or Jakob Chychrun.

Lack of bold moves: The only time the Bruins really "went for it" was in 2018. They traded a first-rounder, a coveted (at the time) prospect in Ryan Lindgren and other assets for Rangers winger Rick Nash, who was the top forward available that year. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Nash suffered a concussion a few weeks after coming to Boston. He missed the last 12 regular season games and returned for the playoffs, but he wasn't the same dynamic player. He ended up retiring that summer.

Hall was a major acquisition in 2021, but he had a no-trade clause and wanted to go to Boston, so the Sabres were in a tough spot. 

Depth, depth and more depth: Sweeney often has opted to reinforce his roster rather than overhaul it at the trade deadline. Rarely do teams that make major trades before the deadline go on to win the Stanley Cup. The Kings did it a few times -- acquiring Jeff Carter in 2012 and Marian Gaborik in 2014 en route to titles -- but usually the eventual champion adds quality depth. 

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Some of these moves actually worked out for the Bruins. Hall, Lazar, Reilly, Coyle and Johansson all were brought in and filled important roles. All except Johansson were ultimately re-signed. Sweeney has acquired more forwards than defensemen at the trade deadline since becoming the GM, but that could change this year. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Wednesday night that Boston's priority ahead of the March 21 deadline is defense.

Want to stay?: One trend we've noticed is Sweeney likes to acquire players with term on their contract or guys who the team is confident it can re-sign the ensuing offseason. Last year was a good example. Hall and Reilly both re-signed, while Lazar was already under contract for 2021-22. 

Coyle had a year left on his deal when acquired by the B's in 2019. He signed a five-year extension that began in 2020-21. Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase also weren't rentals, although neither player made much of an impact in Boston (for different reasons).

Don't be surprised if, ahead of Monday's deadline, the Bruins target a player with term or someone who will re-sign.

Grades: Sweeney has made a bunch of poor moves in his tenure as GM. Many of his free agent signings haven't panned out, including David Backes, John Moore, Nick Foligno and Matt Beleskey, among others.

He's actually done a pretty good job when making trades, though, especially near the deadline.

The Hall and Reilly trades last season were very good. The Coyle and Johansson moves in 2019 were both Grade A deals and helped Boston get to within a single victory of a Stanley Cup title. The Nash move in 2018 was great at the time, and there's no way the team could have predicted a concussion would derail his Boston tenure. Stempniak wasn't a bad addition in 2016, although the Bruins failed to make the playoffs that year.

Free agency and drafting have not been good at times for the Bruins under Sweeney, but the team has won more often that it's lost when he's making deals with rival executives.