The Bruins acquired forwards Marcus Johansson and Charlie Coyle prior to the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 25. The two combined for 27 points (13 goals, 14 points) in the playoffs to help Boston reach the Cup Final.
"I think this is a testament to the hard work of the organization," Sweeney said. "When you get support of the people you work with every day and the players that are so committed, you're just trying to find potentially missing pieces. We've worked hard the last few years to try to kind of hone in on some areas that we felt we could fill some gaps, and I can't say enough about what Charlie and Marcus did for our hockey club, coming in and fitting in seamlessly. Obviously, our leadership group and every one of the players in the locker room welcomed them."
Sweeney, who played 15 of his 16 NHL seasons with the Bruins, spent nine seasons working in the front office before being promoted to GM on May 20, 2015. The Bruins are one of five Eastern Conference teams to reach the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and Boston's 185 wins under Sweeney are fourth in the NHL, after the Washington Capitals (208), Tampa Bay Lightning (204) and Pittsburgh Penguins (189).
The other finalists were Doug Armstrong of the Blues and Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes. Voting was conducted among the 31 NHL general managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the regular season.
The Blues (45-28-9) climbed from last in the NHL standings on Jan. 3 to third in the Central Division and won the Stanley Cup.
The Hurricanes (46-29-7) advanced to the Eastern Conference Final, where they were swept by the Bruins, after reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
General Manager of the Year voting
Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd)
1. Don Sweeney, BOS 80 (8-11-7)
2. Doug Armstrong, STL 63 (8-6-5)
3. Don Waddell, CAR 59 (9-3-5)
4. Doug Wilson, SJS 58 (5-9-6)
5. Lou Lamoriello, NYI 56 (8-4-4)
6. Brad Treliving, CGY 22 (2-3-3)
7. Joe Sakic, COL 14 (1-2-3)
8. Jarmo Kekalainen, CBJ 7 (0-1-4)
9. Jim Nill, DAL 6 (0-1-3)
10. George McPhee, VGK 3 (0-1-0)
11. Marc Bergevin, MTL 1 (0-0-1)