Management Crazy Fact About the Bruins and Management

[Coach Parker]

Morning all!

I just stumbled into another thread on the main board which prompted me to do some research and I discovered a crazy fact about the Bruins:

The Boston Bruins are the only team in the NHL without a single top ten picked player in the NHL draft. In fact, compared to every other NHL team, they have the lowest ranking at 14th overall (DeBrusk and McAvoy) when it comes to draft pedigree.

What's also crazy is that 14th overall has widely been considered the worst position to be in because you are the last team to miss the playoffs and the lowest drafting position of all NHL teams not making the playoffs.

Every other team in the NHL has one or multiple top ten picks on their NHL roster while the Bruins not only don't have one on their NHL roster but they don't even have one in the system.

90 points. Top team in the league.

I am the most critical of this management team when it comes to FILLING THE HOLE on 2nd line RW but hats off to them for this accomplishment.

Click to read more...

 

[Trap Jesus]

Since 1970, the only teams that won a Cup without a top 3 pick were (highest drafted player in brackets):

2001 Avalanche - Peter Forsberg (6th overall)
1996 Avalanche - Peter Forsberg (6th overall)
1989 Flames - Lanny McDonald (4th overall)
1987 Oilers - Paul Coffey (6th overall)
1985 Oilers - Paul Coffey (6th overall)
1984 Oilers - Paul Coffey (6th overall)
1970 Bruins - Rick Smith (7th overall)*

* Technically Frank Spring (4th) was a higher pick, but only played 1 regular season game.

Things get murkier before that because the draft was a different beast in the 60s and the draft only began in 1963, but the 1968 and 1969 Canadiens had Garry Monahan (1st overall, 1963) suit up for 11 regular season games in 1967/68 and 3 regular season games in 1968/1969, although no playoff games. Highest drafted player I could find on the 1966/67 Leafs was Jim McKenney (17th, 1963), who played 6 regular season games and no playoff games.

 

[Coach Parker]

Maybe this lower draft pedigree and ranking plays right into the culture idea? There are no elitists and the ones that were drafted high are gone...

 

[BruinDust]

Morning all!

I just stumbled into another thread on the main board which prompted me to do some research and I discovered a crazy fact about the Bruins:

The Boston Bruins are the only team in the NHL without a single top ten picked player in the NHL draft. In fact, compared to every other NHL team, they have the lowest ranking at 14th overall (DeBrusk and McAvoy) when it comes to draft pedigree.

What's also crazy is that 14th overall has widely been considered the worst position to be in because you are the last team to miss the playoffs and the lowest drafting position of all NHL teams not making the playoffs.

Every other team in the NHL has one or multiple top ten picks on their NHL roster while the Bruins not only don't have one on their NHL roster but they don't even have one in the system.

90 points. Top team in the league.

I am the most critical of this management team when it comes to FILLING THE HOLE on 2nd line RW but hats off to them for this accomplishment.

While this management team deserves a lot of credit for what they've done, it also helps a lot when you inherit what they did. Here you have a franchise that has had basically it's No.1 center and leader in Bergeron now for 14 years (essentially since the day they dealt Thornton), and their No.1 Left D-man in Chara for almost the same amount of time. And to get one through free agency, and another in the 2nd round of the draft is incredible.

Then factor in they (Sweeney's tenure) inherited Krug (Top 5 offensive D-man in the league IMO), Krejci (maybe the most underrated NHL player the past decade), Marchand, Pastrnak, and Rask. Granted, you can say that the current management group were involved a lot in Pasta, probably even Krug, but the core of this team has been around so long and acquired in such an unconventional way. I don't think there is another franchise that can boast a core of 5 guys (Bergeron/Marchand/Krejci/Rask/Chara) that have been around as long and are still very important players. Last night late in the game you had all 4 of those skaters on the ice together to finish it off. If you had told me back in 2009-10 that here in 2020 that those 4 guys would be on the ice together to close out a win for the Boston Bruins I would of said you were crazy, but here we are.

 

[Coach Parker]

Getting crazier to look back:

Any top ten picks or better for the Boston Bruins haven't lasted more than their ELC:

Hamilton, 9th overall, 3 years, gone
Seguin, 2nd overall, 3 years, gone
Hamill, 8th overall, 3 years, gone (three years he played a NHL game for the Bruins)
Kessel, 5th overall, 3 years, gone
Jonsson, 7th overall, o years, gone

Okay here it is:

Joe Thornton was the last top ten pick by the Boston Bruins that lasted beyond his ELC. Since then, no player drafted by the Bruins in the first round has made it beyond 3 years with the Bruins before being traded.

 

[Coach Parker]

While this management team deserves a lot of credit for what they've done, it also helps a lot when you inherit what they did. Here you have a franchise that has had basically it's No.1 center and leader in Bergeron now for 14 years (essentially since the day they dealt Thornton), and their No.1 Left D-man in Chara for almost the same amount of time. And to get one through free agency, and another in the 2nd round of the draft is incredible.

Then factor in they (Sweeney's tenure) inherited Krug (Top 5 offensive D-man in the league IMO), Krejci (maybe the most underrated NHL player the past decade), Marchand, Pastrnak, and Rask. Granted, you can say that the current management group were involved a lot in Pasta, probably even Krug, but the core of this team has been around so long and acquired in such an unconventional way. I don't think there is another franchise that can boast a core of 5 guys (Bergeron/Marchand/Krejci/Rask/Chara) that have been around as long and are still very important players. Last night late in the game you had all 4 of those skaters on the ice together to finish it off. If you had told me back in 2009-10 that here in 2020 that those 4 guys would be on the ice together to close out a win for the Boston Bruins I would of said you were crazy, but here we are.

As I dug deeper it gets crazier as my post above illustrates. A culture of moving top ten picks and 'elite' prospects. I really think this is stumbling into their idea of culture and drafting players.

 

[Coach Parker]

It's been 23 years since a top ten drafted player by the Boston Bruins has played more than 3 seasons for the Boston Bruins.

 

[Coach Parker]

This is getting crazier the deeper I dig:

Thornton
Samsanov
McLaren
Wesley
Kluzak
Bourque
1966 Rick Smith

That's it. In the history of the Boston Bruins those are the only top ten draft picks that have played more than 3 seasons for the Bruins after being drafted by them. I'm currently back to 1965 and still looking.

 

[Smitty93]

Morning all!

I just stumbled into another thread on the main board which prompted me to do some research and I discovered a crazy fact about the Bruins:

The Boston Bruins are the only team in the NHL without a single top ten picked player in the NHL draft. In fact, compared to every other NHL team, they have the lowest ranking at 14th overall (DeBrusk and McAvoy) when it comes to draft pedigree.

What's also crazy is that 14th overall has widely been considered the worst position to be in because you are the last team to miss the playoffs and the lowest drafting position of all NHL teams not making the playoffs.

Every other team in the NHL has one or multiple top ten picks on their NHL roster while the Bruins not only don't have one on their NHL roster but they don't even have one in the system.

90 points. Top team in the league.

I am the most critical of this management team when it comes to FILLING THE HOLE on 2nd line RW but hats off to them for this accomplishment.

Not just that, but think about how many homegrown (drafted or undrafted college free agent) players they have.

I believe the current number is 8 forwards and five defensemen.

 

[Coach Parker]

Not just that, but think about how many homegrown (drafted or undrafted college free agent) players they have.

I believe the current number is 8 forwards and five defensemen.

It's nuts looking back at their history. 7 players. Seven. That's it in their history of drafting. Seven players lasted beyond three years playing for the Bruins.

 

[Dr Hook]

Getting crazier to look back:

Any top ten picks or better for the Boston Bruins haven't lasted more than their ELC:

Hamilton, 9th overall, 3 years, gone
Seguin, 2nd overall, 3 years, gone
Hamill, 8th overall, 3 years, gone (three years he played a NHL game for the Bruins)
Kessel, 5th overall, 3 years, gone
Jonsson, 7th overall, o years, gone

Okay here it is:

Joe Thornton was the last top ten pick by the Boston Bruins that lasted beyond his ELC. Since then, no player drafted by the Bruins in the first round has made it beyond 3 years with the Bruins before being traded.

You forgot Samsonov

EDIT: I see you had him down below

 

[Coach Parker]

You forgot Samsonov

EDIT: I see you had him down below

Read next post. I went back through their entire history and he's one of seven only.

 

[Coach Parker]

Corrected error below.

 

[Dr Hook]

In quick comparison Montreal has 8 top ten drafted players who have played more than 3 seasons or are currently playing for them right now since 2000 alone. That's more than the history of the Bruins. Nuts.

And they still suck

 

[Coach Parker]

Boy, if I was a reporter/journalist this is an article begging to be written. Culture of anti-elitism? History of management trading away top picks/drafted players? The stigma of a top ten pick? 2nd contracts and the Bruins? Bruins trading 1sts? Avoiding bottoming out at all costs to maintain a culture?

 

[Bruinfanatic]

Morning all!

I just stumbled into another thread on the main board which prompted me to do some research and I discovered a crazy fact about the Bruins:

The Boston Bruins are the only team in the NHL without a single top ten picked player in the NHL draft. In fact, compared to every other NHL team, they have the lowest ranking at 14th overall (DeBrusk and McAvoy) when it comes to draft pedigree.

What's also crazy is that 14th overall has widely been considered the worst position to be in because you are the last team to miss the playoffs and the lowest drafting position of all NHL teams not making the playoffs.

Every other team in the NHL has one or multiple top ten picks on their NHL roster while the Bruins not only don't have one on their NHL roster but they don't even have one in the system.

90 points. Top team in the league.

I am the most critical of this management team when it comes to FILLING THE HOLE on 2nd line RW but hats off to them for this accomplishment.

Because they have traded them away,not usually a recipe for success, but has worked out pretty good for them

 

[Coach Parker]

Because they have traded them away,not usually a recipe for success, but has worked out pretty good for them

But were they trading them away for assets for a playoff run? If so, that is feeding into the positive winning culture and may be more important than the pick for the franchise.

This week, Benning (former Bruin management) spoke to the media about avoiding the 'black hole' in hockey of a losing culture being embedded into the young players so he went all in for Toffoli. We also saw Edmonton annually tank and produce a losing atmosphere.

We hear all about culture and even the spittin' chicklets guys joke about the 'Bruins cult' and how they take less and focus on team and letting the players have a big say in the teams DNA.

What if avoiding a top ten pick is part of that culture? Think about the last two top ten picks; they were from Toronto's failures not Boston's.

This is a real mantra of not being afraid to move 1sts to keep a winning culture and if an 'elite' pick comes in and doesn't buy into the culture they are promptly moved.

 

[NiftyWasNasty]

In quick comparison Montreal has 8 top ten drafted players who have played more than 3 seasons or are currently playing for them right now since 2000 alone. That's more than the history of the Bruins. Nuts.

Umm...not sure what your looking at, the Habs have drafted 6 players in the top ten since 2000 and 4 of them played past their entry contracts, so far.

As a matter of fact if you go back to 1979, the first year of the "entry" draft they still only have 10 players picked in the top 10. 5 played beyond their first contract, one only played 8 games in the NHL.

 

[Jim]

It's nuts looking back at their history. 7 players. Seven. That's it in their history of drafting. Seven players lasted beyond three years playing for the Bruins.

Go outside and enjoy some sunshine, man.

 

[Coach Parker]

Because they have traded them away,not usually a recipe for success, but has worked out pretty good for them

Also, define success? Which teams do you think bring in more revenue, ratings and fans? Chicago 2000-2020 or Boston 2000-2020? Pittsburgh 2000-2020? We skim over the years that led to those teams having high draft picks with empty arenas, no one watching or caring but which team is set up to succeed when their top players depart more (Toews/Kane/Keith) (Malkin/Crosby/Letang), (Bergeron/Krejci/Chara)?

And I'm picking the three teams I see as the most successful the last decade. There is no comparison with any other teams.

 

[Coach Parker]

Go outside and enjoy some sunshine, man.

Well said. Party tonight here and a case of Pink Whitney along with all the beer and food for guests ready to go!

 

[Bruinfanatic]

But were they trading them away for assets for a playoff run? If so, that is feeding into the positive winning culture and may be more important than the pick for the franchise.

Yeah I don’t know,never liked the Thornton trade didn’t think they got near enough for him, but they were able to use the money they saved to sign Chara, now was that the reason they did it who knows.Sequin he just wasn’t a good fit in Boston,definitely don’t think we can say it was for assets for a playoff run,if it was really didn’t work,Bruins have definitely done well over the years with late picks though.

 

[Coach Parker]

Umm...not sure what your looking at, the Habs have drafted 6 players in the top ten since 2000 and 4 of them played past their entry contracts.

As a matter of fact if you go back to 1979, the first year of the "entry" draft they still only have 10 players picked in the top 10. 5 played beyond their first contract, one only played 8 games in the NHL.

Currently playing for the Habs (heading to third year) or have three years or more since 2000:

Kotkaniemi
Galychenyuk
Price
Kotstitsyn
Komisarek

Apologies, I had put in Poehling and Beaulieu.

 

[Coach Parker]

Umm...not sure what your looking at, the Habs have drafted 6 players in the top ten since 2000 and 4 of them played past their entry contracts, so far.

As a matter of fact if you go back to 1979, the first year of the "entry" draft they still only have 10 players picked in the top 10. 5 played beyond their first contract, one only played 8 games in the NHL.

Okay, why stop at 1979? I went all the way back to the beginning. Since you've brought it up go back and let me know how many top 10 picks in the history of the Canadiens have played more than 3 seasons for them.

Boston had 7.

 

[Wiggleboom]

Just for comparison, the Toronto Raptors (my favorite basketball team) has developed a similar culture of team cohesion and selflessness that has made them a consistent top team in the league year after year. When they win the championship last year, they had 0 lottery draft picks on the team. I see a lot of similarities between them and the Bruins when I watch the games and hear the players speak. No prima donna selfish players allowed.