What Don Sweeney had to say about missing out on John Tavares
"We put our best foot forward and it didn’t fall our way."
John Tavares will not be suiting up in black and gold next season.
The New York Islanders captain agreed to seven-year, $77 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs that will take him back to his hometown club. Tavares was the most high-profile player on the market this offseason and drew attention from teams around the NHL, including the Boston Bruins.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney, team president Cam Neely, and coach Bruce Cassidy met with the 27-year-old last week. Boston had the cap room to bring the veteran center to town, but the Ontario native decided to “live a childhood dream” and join the Maple Leafs.
“I would’ve preferred [Tavares] not [sign] in our division,” Sweeney said, per NESN. “The overall process was a really good process and structural to have somebody else dive inside our own team, and we were thankful for the opportunity to present. [Tavares’ agent] Pat [Brisson] and his group and John himself were really good about it, and he was well prepared, and we felt we were.”
Sweeney recognized that simply getting a meeting with the free agent — who only sat down with five teams — is a reflection of the Bruins’ standing around the league.
“We put our best foot forward and it didn’t fall our way,” he said. “But, again, to be in that situation is something that our group should be happy about, and it’s probably a reflection of what we’re trying to do and trying to accomplish, but I wish it had fallen our way.”
The Bruins didn’t win the Tavares sweepstakes, but they seem to have enjoyed the process and will take the “winning mandate” they brought to the negotiating table into next season.
“I think stylistically, to our coaches, to the organization, to the support from ownership, with this facility, overall, it’s a reflection of our entire organization, and I’ve said all along, it’s about winning,” Sweeney added. “That’s the mandate that we’re trying to put forward to all of our players, whether it was the development camp guys or the highest-level free agency players that we’re trying to attract.”
In other summertime Sweeney news, the general manager added four new players to Boston’s roster on Sunday.
