Dennis Bonvie
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Neely's been in the front office since 2007 so he preceded everyone but Bergeron.
Management Cam Neely - State of the Bruins (10/13/21)
- Thread starter Fenway
- Start date
Neely's been in the front office since 2007 so he preceded everyone but Bergeron.
Fenian24
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- Jun 14, 2010
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They will make the playoffs, the top line and McAvoy can do that. Then they will run into bigger, tougher, more talented teams built for the playoffs. Tampa and Florida bounce them in 5 games. Toronto would be interesting as they are both built for the regular season and not the playoffs.
Best case, Coyle get 35/40 points as second line center and Hall carries that line. Swayman is rookie of the year candidate and steals numerous games. Carlo decides to become a hammer and not a nail and becomes a number 2 D.
Worst case Coyle is terrible as I think he will be and proves to be nothing more than another Sweeney mistake. McAvoy can't carry D by himself and Reilly and Griz get exposed as soft, perimeter D that can be easily pushed around. Swayman isn't ready and Ullmarks preseason is what he really is. Small passive forwards aren't as effective in regular season as they have been. Upside, lottery pick in deep draft that hopefully new management would get to make.
Most likely. 92-100 points, 3rd or 4th place finish and a one and done in the playoffs. Neely, Cassidy and Sweeney keep their jobs and JJ is happy with 2 or 3 playoff gates. Same as it ever was and it has never been about winning. If it was Sinden would have been fired in the mid 80's.
Best case, Coyle get 35/40 points as second line center and Hall carries that line. Swayman is rookie of the year candidate and steals numerous games. Carlo decides to become a hammer and not a nail and becomes a number 2 D.
Worst case Coyle is terrible as I think he will be and proves to be nothing more than another Sweeney mistake. McAvoy can't carry D by himself and Reilly and Griz get exposed as soft, perimeter D that can be easily pushed around. Swayman isn't ready and Ullmarks preseason is what he really is. Small passive forwards aren't as effective in regular season as they have been. Upside, lottery pick in deep draft that hopefully new management would get to make.
Most likely. 92-100 points, 3rd or 4th place finish and a one and done in the playoffs. Neely, Cassidy and Sweeney keep their jobs and JJ is happy with 2 or 3 playoff gates. Same as it ever was and it has never been about winning. If it was Sinden would have been fired in the mid 80's.
Have people seen who the #2 Center is on Tampa, Colorado, and Vegas
all I keep hearing is the Bruins are missing a #2C while the 3 so called best teams in the league don’t have a legit 2C either
all I keep hearing is the Bruins are missing a #2C while the 3 so called best teams in the league don’t have a legit 2C either
Sheppy
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Root
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- Feb 22, 2010
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I don't think anyone is complaining about the forwards, at least I'm not. I like the additions of Foligno, Nosek, Haula and I like that we have Studnicka and (maybe) Lauko knocking on the door. I don't think the forward group is soft. I wish we still had Krejci for the second line but overall I think they should get by just fine with what they have.
My issue is with the defense and specifically the left side of the defense. Neely himself admitted they needed that big minute eater for the left side and they did not come close to delivering. Individually I don't have a problem with Gryz, Reilly or Forbort as players. They are good bottom pair defensemen. The problem I have is two of those players will be in your top-4. That's a problem. It's not good enough and the defense is soft.
If that makes me a "Debbie Downer naysayer" than so be it. Not sure when this became a place where fans can only discuss opinions when they are positive. The left side of the defense is a problem. It has been a problem for a couple of seasons and it is frustrating that it is acknowledged by the management and not addressed. It is especially frustrating when you look at an aging Bergeron and Marchand and realize the window is closing and the time to upgrade is now (really it was two/three years ago, but whatever) and it still does not get done.
Not Stamkos anymore. He plays wing now. Cirelli is their 2c. He's a good player, but he is not in a different quality tier from Coyle.
RussellmaniaKW
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- Sep 15, 2004
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let's put it another way: a team that couldn't get past the 2nd round last year lost one of the best playoff performers of this generation and hasn't properly replaced him. Taking position & other teams out of the equation...are the Bruins more likely to advance in the playoffs this year than they were last year?
RussellmaniaKW
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they made up for it with an absolutely stacked D and deep bottom 6.
Having a mediocre 2nd line C is not a winning formula in a vacuum.
No of course not, but within the context of center depth, the Bruins are not knocked out of the conversation because Coyle is their #2.
What you say about the regular season is true, they will be hard to play against.
However they will be exposed during the playoffs, they cannot take the heavier pounding that comes with playoff hockey. We've seen this movie the past few trips to the playoffs, their opponents beat the living shit out of them (I'm not talking cheap shots, fighting or anything like that, just good hard heavy hockey) and the Bruins have no way to respond in kind.
RussellmaniaKW
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well I think most would agree they didn't significantly improve their D (if at all), and the jury is still out on their bottom 6.
They were a middle of the pack playoff team last year and lost their 4th or 5th best forward. So yes, without making up for it in other areas, downgrading from Krejci to Coyle quite possibly eliminates them from serious contention.
For what it's worth, it's not all doom & gloom from me. I know this isn't the roster they'll go into the playoffs with (and I do expect them to make the playoffs). But I just think it's intellectually dishonest to point at a few other teams that have elite depth and try to argue that they somehow justify the Bruins having a mediocre 2nd line C (when the Bruins don't have elite depth to make up for it).
Sheppy
Registered User
Blowfish
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Not sure which team(s) have this defense everyone is crying for in here...
I would be interested to see some stats however my gut tells me Bruins are not that far off being the norm. If anything more and more teams are moving towards smaller puck moving D.
Root
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- Feb 22, 2010
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Lightning, Knights, Islanders, Avalanche (they have Girard, but not two guys like that and his playoff showing was not great), Hurricanes...I can go on but here are what many consider the best teams in the league.
I mean Neely admitted it himself but yet if you mention it on here you are "crying" about it. Unbelievable.
Yes but if Sweeney was to fall flat on his face like his drafts they both would be fired.
Blowfish
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Elite Prospects - Team Comparison in NHL
Facts are important in this discussion. Not "blowhard" Neely.
Without going into detail....I found the following.
Team Weight bruins rank 8th
Team Height bruins rank 25th
So there's that.
More importantly "taking your size requirement thing out of the equation" is how the team performs defending 5 on 5 and PK. I believe Boston is typically ranked in the top 5. Folk on here get way bent out of shape with this size thing. Size was a big deal back in the day. IMO not as important today.
My final thoughts, size can only go so far. For example, Marchand and our stud D McAvoy are not giants but they play like giants. Clifford is another great example. The bruins have built a competitive hard to play against team. That's a team I like to cheer for.
A team built with giants doesn't necessary mean more competitive or success. For example, Ottawa, NYR, Flames, Devils, Leafs, and Oilers are in the top 10 NHL for height. All brutal defensive teams.
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I don't disagree, but the separation is not miles in width. It is certainly not like comparing Cirelli and Bergeron, or Coyle and Point, to stay with a theme.
b in vancouver
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- Jul 28, 2005
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It gets exhausting. I actually like this roster - but guess if I'm not whining or complaining I obviously don't know hockey.
I think it's really well constructed. Looks to me like a high talent character hard-working team that is going to be a pain in the ass to play against night in night out.
Fair enough. The centers to me are okay until they aren't and we'll see. I feel the same about the D as well. There is a lot of hand-wringing here and in Bruins media about the defense, but I am willing to give it a chance because I see where it could be really good as easily as it being really bad. The keys there for me are: Forbort and can he be a solid top4 defensive guy, Carlo's health, and the improvement Reilly showed continuing. I think we know what we have with Gryz (I am a fan!) and Cliffy. McAvoy, enough said.
I also think overall the forward group is better. We lost Krejci, and that is a blow, but we get a full season of Hall, and I like the pickups over the summer to shore up the bottom 6. Again, it could go sideways like with the defense. The keys to me are: is Coyle going to be adequate in 2C and can Hall drive that second line. Third line is much improved with Haula and Foligno and hopefully rejuvented JDB, and the 4th with Kuraly and Wagner and Lindholm gone looks to be better.
Goalies: either way again.
So I get it, there are reasons to be pessimistic or dubious about the Bruins this season, and reasons to be really hopeful that this is going to be an outstanding team. What's great is we are about to finally find out.
Root
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I'll try to put this nicely...you are confusing yourself. My issue with the left side of the defense is that it is made up of three guys who are ideally bottom pair defensemen that are mostly one dimensional in what they bring. You are bringing in size and weight and then for some reason quoting me like I said there is a "size requirement" to the equation...I did not. My gripe is we simply are not good enough on the left side. We do not have a two-way defensemen that can play 24 minutes a night against the other teams top players. Like I said, give me one of Reilly or Gryz for the third pair and I am happy. Both of them, especially both of them in your top-4 I do not like.
I feel bad because you are running in circles making a bunch of counterpoints to a point I didn't make. Mike Reilly is 6'1", Forbort is listed as 6'4". That is perfectly fine. I am talking about needing a two-way left shot defensemen who can log big minutes. I think it is something the team has needed for a few years now to go to the next level as a true contender. If you disagree with that so be it.
Blowfish
Count down ...
Over the past 4 postseasons here are Krejci's point totals 10, 16, 12, 9 . Charlie Coyle while healthy and playing 3rd line minutes matched Krejci's highest point total over that span with 16 points in 18-19 postseason and he had only 2 PP goals out of those 16 points.
So...we think Coyle has a chance to be the type of playoff performer Krejci was over the years due to one season?
I'll take that bet.
UncleRico
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- May 8, 2017
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