Fresh Links: Astute

It was a mixed night at the NHL Awards for the Bruins on hand.

• Don Sweeney was the winner as the NHL’s best General Manager, and in case you don’t recall, here’s why. Bonus- Patrice Bergeron was a Selke finalist despite only having played 65 games, and Brad Marchand came in fifth in the Hart Trophy voting. Patriot Ledger
• Sweeney is the first Bruins GM to achieve the honor. Boston Hockey Now
• A number of Sweeney’s good decisions look even better in hindsight. Scouting Post
• In his eighth nomination, Patrice Bergeron didn’t get his record fifth Selke Trophy. Interestingly, linemate Brad Marchand also finished at #16 in the voting. Boston notably iced 37 different players this season, more than any other playoff team. Boston Herald
• Ponder the raw vote tabulations for the Selke from the Professional Hockey Writers Association. @ThePHWA
• The Bruins hit the proverbial wall in November as far as injuries were concerned. Despite the mostly solid performances of those called up to cover, the Bruins would like to avoid those situations in future. Boston Herald
• Part of Don Sweeney’s next focus will be managing the Bruins’ five picks at NHL Draft. He will have cap constraints. and tough decisions. How might Noel Acciari’s future affect David Backes, or Danton Heinen’s affect David Pastrnak? How will the final season of Kevan Miller’s contract play out? HockeyBuzz
• Great Eight? Watch this octet of youngsters closely at the NHL Draft- the Bruins probably are, too. Boston.com
• The Bruins Stanley Cup winning team of 1970 cast a long shadow on the Boston area, sparking not only rink building but the dreams of Boston area youth as well. Haverhill Gazette

Elsewhere around the rink:

• At least a couple of Lightning players were able to salvage some hardware from this season. Here are some of the other winners from last night. ESPN
• At the ripe old age of 35, Mark Giordano was the runaway Norris Trophy winner despite his long, strange trip to the NHL. NBC Sports
• Robin Lehner took charge of his illness and went on to a career year now capped by the Masterton Trophy (in addition to the Jennings alongside Thomas Greiss.) Barry Trotz reminds us all that Lehner has the right perspective on his achievement. TSN Bonus- re-read Lehner’s piece in The Athletic, offered without paywall.
• He may have landed on the cover of EA Sports NHL 20, but Auston Matthews still has no Stanley Cup- and now Patrick Marleau is leaving. Bonus- the future of workload management for NHL players. Toronto Sun
• This potpourri of rumors include that Phil Kessel apparently does not wish to return home to Minnesota. The Hockey News
• NHL GMs are rightfully upset that the salary cap has not been set as they head into the NHL Draft. Its hard to make good decisions without information. CBS Sports
• The World Junior Summer Showcase roster has been announced. Look for Bruin youngsters Axel Andersson and Curtis Hall. NHL
• One of the potential NHL Draftees arrives in Vancouver from New England with a chip on his shoulder. Rinkside Rhode Island
• In a gracious effort to lessen the sting of the Stanley Cup Final loss, St. Louis Children’s Hospital has sent a gift to Boston Children’s and other area hospitals. It was in the works even before the Final, win OR lose. CNN

There are 89 days left until Bruins (preseason) hockey.