Not among the Off With His Head throng. Remember too that while responsible for management miscues, Chia hasn't been alone in making them. There have been unquestionably good moves - Ryder, Kelly, Peverly, Horton & Seidenberg all contributed in significant fashion to the Cup championship. If you,re a conspiracy theorist, you can add Chara & (in terms of bringing in scoring, Savard) to that equation. And, PC & Co. also deserve credit for reversing course on Dave Lewis & hiring an excellent, undeniably successful coach in Claude Julien.
The mistakes & misjugements are undeniable as well: poor drafting (other than no brainers like Seguin, Hamilton and Pastrnak); overestimating the ability & development of prospects, leaving the team thin in depth & consequently vulnerable to even a very few injuries, never mind a raft of them; failure to acquire effective depth (Mezaros, Potter, Satan, Jagr, et. al.), never mind top shelf scoring (save Iggy); dealing 4D Johnny Rocket, no Bobby Orr but an important "tangible" on the ice & "intangible" in the room, sending a terrible message to the room & to the fans; and, finally, though I admire a propensity toward deliberation & patience, a lack of urgency that may cost the club as its core group grows older while management stands still. I could add the "too much $, too much term, too many NMCs," but am less certain these factors constitute bad judgement.
In the event, not optimistic. Again, barring a significant upgrade - don't ask me how - the Bruins are no longer among the NHL elite. The depressing bit is that without that substantial upgrade or retool, it's difficult to see how things will get better within the next few years.
It's just a game, after all, but somewhat bummed at present.
