The Boston Bruins don't appear to be missing a beat in the absence of an official general manager.

Former NHL defenseman Don Sweeney, who has worked in the club's hockey operations department since 2006 and was named as an assistant GM back in 2010, has been serving as acting GM since Peter Chiarelli was let go on April 15, according to D.J. Bean of WEEI.

While this doesn't necessarily mean Sweeney is a lock to replace Chiarelli, it's believed he's the odds-on favorite, as further evidenced by carrying the load to kick off a busy offseason after the Bruins failed to make the playoffs.

Further to that, Sweeney and head coach Claude Julien had a lengthy meeting Friday, a source reported to Stephen Harris of the Boston Herald. Julien's status remains up in the air after a disappointing season, and team president Cam Neely indicated that the decision on who will coach next season will be left in the hands of the new GM.

Ray Shero was believed to be a finalist for the GM post, but has since landed with the New Jersey Devils. With New York Rangers AGM Jeff Gorton also reportedly off the table, the signs continue to point to Sweeney, who might not be inclined to kick of his tenure with a coaching change.