Stanley Cup Champion Credits Don Sweeney With Bruins Success

With five games remaining in the regular season, the Boston Bruins are wrapping up their historical NHL season and getting ready for the postseason.

Even with all the records they have captured this season, the ultimate goal is winning the Stanley Cup, and former Bruin Shawn McEachern credits Boston GM Don Sweeney for putting the Black and Gold in the position to win.

“It seems to me, by the numbers, they may be the best Bruins team they’ve ever had,” McEachern told Sue O’Connell of GBH News on Monday. “… I mean, they’ve hit on every player. Don Sweeney’s hit on every player he’s picked up.”

McEachern, who played for Boston in 1995-96 and again in 2005-06, talked about how the team is playing at the top of their game and is tough to beat.

“You look at David Pastrnak with 56 goals. I mean, he’s got a chance to put up 60 goals. I don’t know who the last Bruin to do that was,” McEachern said. “He might be the best player, one of the best players in the NHL right now.”

The former winger won a Stanley Cup in 1992 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and noted that the sport has evolved since he played in the 1990s.

“I think also the NHL has maybe taken more of the violence out of the game,” he said. “A lot of fans enjoyed it that way back in the day, but now they allow the skill players to be skillful. … They’re allowing the best players in the world to really show what they can do, and the product has been great.

“It’s been the guys like (Connor) McDavid out of Edmonton. He’s just he’s an electric fine player, and he’s an awful lot of fun to watch. I think some people might be disappointed that they don’t see the violence that was back in the 90s, but I think it’s a much better product for a TV.”

McEachern also noted since Jim Montgomery has taken over as the coach, the style of play is different from when Claude Julien and Bruce Cassidy were behind the bench, and that’s something the team seems to gain energy from.

“Jim Montgomery has done an unbelievable job with this team,” McEachern said. “… I think Jim brings a fresh breath of fresh air, allowing his defense to jump in the play and create a lot more offensive. … I’ve enjoyed watching this team that more than a team I’ve seen in a long time.”

McEachern said one of the obstacles to the Bruins’ success is core players like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci being on the older side.

“The big players for them, they’re both in their late 30s, and I know how I felt in my late 30s,” he said. “So I give them all the credit in the world.”

The first-round opponent for the Bruins is unknown because of the Wild Card race in the East between the Florida Panthers, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, only being separated by one point. All three teams playing on Thursday.

The Bruins will host the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.