Boston Bruins president Cam Neely is more than satisfied with the work of general manager Don Sweeney.

“I think he’s done a fantastic job," Neely told CSNNE's Joe Haggerty.

"I know it wasn’t easy for him, but you wouldn’t notice it or know that it affected him or bothered him. He kept with the plan he’d put in place, and his work ethic is second to none. His knowledge of the game and players ... he’s put a lot of time in. I’m not surprised with how he’s handled it, but it was quite an introduction as a new GM.”

Sweeney was named Bruins GM in May, about a month after the firing of Peter Chiarelli.

At the draft, Sweeney traded defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Calgary Flames for three draft picks and dealt forward Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings. Days later, the Bruins acquired Zac Rinaldo from the Philadelphia Flyers for a third-round pick.

Boston then signed forward Matt Beleskey to a five-year, $19-million deal and traded Reilly Smith to the Florida Panthers for Jimmy Hayes.

“Don had a plan that we talked about, that we presented and we really thought we could accomplish,” Neely said.

“We knew that it might be a little rocky and bumpy, and we also knew that it would entail (free agency). There would be plenty of opportunities to second guess, but we also know that people don’t really know what’s going on inside the four walls (at the Bruins offices), and the conversations that are happening."

The Bruins have about $4 million in cap flexibility with only one free agent, Daniel Paille, unsigned.

“We felt like we had to clean up our cap problems, and get out from under that," Neely said.

"We needed a chance to add without subtracting all the time. I think what Don was able to accomplish on July 1, whether it was signing Matt Beleskey or trading for Jimmy Hayes, really assured people that there was some kind of a plan. We weren’t tuned into (the criticism), but we could certainly feel it and were prepared for it.”