News Article: Cam Neely: Reconstructed Bruins ‘can be playoff team’ next year

[C77]

Connolly has 18 points, Caron has 3 points. Did Brett Connolly get 6x as much ice time per game than Jordan Caron? That would be the ice time difference if that was actually the case.

Quite possibly the worst reasoning I have ever heard and frankly I have no idea how you came to that conclusion. Basic math man.

It depends on how you choose to look at it.

If you look at it from what both players achieved season by season it's not very much different with exception of Connolly's last year. What does that portend for this season? Can anyone really make a conclusion based on what Connolly has shown? That was my point.

Of course the young players in general should improve but for everyone that take a step forward - maybe Pastrnak + Spooner there is usually someone who fizzles out.

And you're talking about guys that this team needs to be successful because the Top 6 forwards are extremely thin. I count 4 guys....Bergeron, Krejci, Marchand, and Eriksson. Pastrnak has the talent but still developing.

 

[BMC]

So he's basically saying Rask is going to have the best season a goalie ever had.

He will have to with that defense in front of him

 

[BMC]

I would be pretty happy with a 2007-2008 like team with the same type of effort and passion. Similar in the standings to last years team but miles apart in every other way.

I agree. That team wasn't great but they played hard all the time. I can live with that.

 

[neelynugs]

with as much as cam talks to harry, i figured he'd say they were adequate.

agree though, this team will be a lot more watchable than that pile of **** we saw last season.

 

[b in vancouver]

Really, does he think they were 10 wins from a playoff spot?

As Get Smart would say the Bruins were this close to making the playoffs.

Does not appear that Neely will ever go out on a limb with what he says.

About a month ago I put in Get Smart DVDs. It was fantastic!

I think they're a playoff team and towards the top of the conference if Chara and Seidenberg bounce back a bit.
Bergeron, Krejci, Eriksson, Marchand, Chara, Seidenberg, Rask, is still as good of core group of players as any team in the East. I'm optimistic. I think Krejci and Bergeron have career years.

 

[b in vancouver]

Well, it worked for the Habs

Not a Cup contender at all without major luck like the Habs in 1993. But a playoffs team? No doubt they are in that consideration. Just like the team I listed. 4 will miss and maybe more if Buf-Tor-NJ-Car surprise and have better season than anticipated...

Please, never bring up 1993. I hated that playoffs.

 

[Gee Wally]

To me its a work in progress. A bridge.

Hit hard. Skate hard. Shoot hard. Stick up for each other. Entertain me. Care as much as me.

Im good.

 

[patty59]

with as much as cam talks to harry, i figured he'd say they were adequate.

agree though, this team will be a lot more watchable than that pile of **** we saw last season.

I agree as long as they don't lose Krejci and Chara for a half the season.

 

[Jean_Jacket41]

To me its a work in progress. A bridge.

Hit hard. Skate hard. Shoot hard. Stick up for each other. Entertain me. Care as much as me.

Im good.

Same here.

They also have the Cap space to add this year without substracting and they'll get even more next offseon with Kelly+Looch+overage bonus coming out of the book (~6.75M).

 

[BMC]

To me its a work in progress. A bridge.

Hit hard. Skate hard. Shoot hard. Stick up for each other. Entertain me. Care as much as me.

Im good.

That's all I ask.

 

[MtlBoxFan]

Is Cam saying the team taking the ice, minus Hamilton and Lucic is better than last year?

Sweeny made rebuild moves and that's fine but to say the immediate product on the ice is better than last year's is insulting to Lucic and Hamilton.

 

[BMC]

Is Cam saying the team taking the ice, minus Hamilton and Lucic is better than last year?

Sweeny made rebuild moves and that's fine but to say the immediate product on the ice is better than last year's is insulting to Lucic and Hamilton.

It is also an insult to the fans' intelligence.

 

[774EVER]

To me its a work in progress. A bridge.

Hit hard. Skate hard. Shoot hard. Stick up for each other. Entertain me. Care as much as me.

Im good.

Funny, last year I was screaming for a reset of this team - essentially taking a step backward to take a big leap forward in 1-2 years. Ironically much of this had to do with the development of Hamilton growing into his role as the #1.

The second part of this reset was to correctly develop the kids- Pasta, Spooner, Koko, Morrow. With Dougie gone, things changed - or did they?

The development of the kids just became much more a priority, simply because there are more of them. Enter Colin Miller, Kuraly, Zboril, Debrusk, Senyshyn, Carlo...heck I'll throw Connolly and Hayes into this mix too.

Is there a void with Dougie gone? (which still burns me) - of course there is. But as per your quote Wally, this team could be exciting to watch for sure.

Crazy to think that the Bruins will have 5 first round picks in two consecutive drafts. Lets think about that for a second. This is more than Buffalo, whose sole effort was to stock pile as many picks as possible over the last two years. This could turn out to be a load of top notch talent.

Develop the kids, bring in the veteran players who know how to win/play the style they want and this team is vaulted into contention again. You've got to think that this is Sweeney's plan.

 

[ORR4EVAH]

Beat.

The.

Habs.

 

[xStanleyCupsFor]

Is Cam saying the team taking the ice, minus Hamilton and Lucic is better than last year?

Sweeny made rebuild moves and that's fine but to say the immediate product on the ice is better than last year's is insulting to Lucic and Hamilton.

You can believe the team is worse no problem, and I LOVED Looch while he was here, but excuse me if absolutely zero ****s are given if their feelings are hurt. They are no longer Bruins. Move on.

 

[ODAAT]

Is Cam saying the team taking the ice, minus Hamilton and Lucic is better than last year?

Sweeny made rebuild moves and that's fine but to say the immediate product on the ice is better than last year's is insulting to Lucic and Hamilton.

where in that article did Neely say anything remotely close to saying that? THIS is why I get frustrated here sometimes, article written, fans interpret/twist things to try and back their own agenda`s

The only part of the piece where he spoke to this coming season was this

“There’s lots of parity in the East,” he said. “It’s going to be tight, it’s going to be a challenge. I think we can be a playoff team. I don’t want to sound like that’s our only goal, just to be a playoff team. That’s not a very high goal. We’re past that.

“But I want to see us improve certainly from where we were last year. I think if guys can continue to improve — (David) Pastrnak, (Brett) Connolly, (Ryan) Spooner — I don’t see why we can’t have a very good year this year.”

You see him saying/quote that he feels this year`s team is better than last years?

I did however read he wanted to shave cap space and stock up a prospect pool that wasn`t so stocked, last year`s team barely missed the playoffs but let`s be honest, they were horrendous to watch and were lucky the East was as bad as it was

 

[alg363636]

I still don't like a lot of the choices and feel mistakes have been made, but the fact I don't have to watch the 2014-2015 Bruins again is already a blessing. And good on Don and Cam for seeing that.

Obviously I want to make the playoffs and I want to compete. As long as Bergeron, Rask, Krejci and Marchand are on this team we will never be a lottery team and it's not fair to ask them to play for one. But if we play our hearts out all season and put on an exciting show, I don't care if we miss.

If this year is for the kids to develop and play at the pro level and then next year we can transition into something more competitive, that's fine. I just want to watch enjoyable hockey again.

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

Is Cam saying the team taking the ice, minus Hamilton and Lucic is better than last year?

Sweeny made rebuild moves and that's fine but to say the immediate product on the ice is better than last year's is insulting to Lucic and Hamilton.

Only prollem with this post is, Neely didn't say that.

 

[BMC]

Beat.

The.

Habs.

Post.of.the.thread.

As long as the Bruins beat those scum sucking poutine swilling ******** whenever and wherever they play I will be happy.

 

[Kaoz]

I'll take that bet.

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

Post.of.the.thread.

As long as the Bruins beat those scum sucking poutine swilling ******** whenever and wherever they play I will be happy.

These posts always make me happy!

 

[BMC]

These posts always make me happy!

You must be very easy to please then

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

You must be very easy to please then

So I been tole....

But on days when the B's play the Habs, I do look specifically for your posts. They renew my faith in humanity!

 

[GordonHowe]

My thoughts exactly


Hell, Id be satisfied if they kicked the **** out of the Habs and a few others every game, lost every other game but gave it a valiant effort, finished the season with a perfect record against Montreal, Toronto, Pittsburgh and selected first overall...then selected again with the Sharks pick


Ideally Id like to see the Sharks blow and the Bruins surprise and go on a run.

Why do you care about the Sharks?

 

[GordonHowe]

To me its a work in progress. A bridge.

Hit hard. Skate hard. Shoot hard. Stick up for each other. Entertain me. Care as much as me.

Im good.

Me too.