While the other half of the National Hockey League enjoys the gut-wrenching Stanley Cup playoff games, the Bruins are in the midst of their own kind of angst. They’ve missed the post-season for the first time since 2016. As management embarks on its biggest offseason since Claude Julien was nearing the end of his tenure, here are few thoughts:

Don Sweeney will lead the Bruins in a critical offseason, but his future is uncertain as the general manager enters a contract year.

Don Sweeney has one year remaining on his contract as general manager of the Boston Bruins — and that could be his last. President Cam Neely still hasn’t decided if he’s going to extend the longtime executive,