In a Short Few Sentences...

[AprilMayandJune]

A picture is better than words

crazy how the absence of 2 good Edmonton lads can make all they difference in the world.

 

[JOKER 192]

Every Defenceman has a glaring flaw

Chara - cooked
Sieds - cooked
Hamilton- poor defence
Krug - too small
Bart - too unpredictable
Quaider - one dimension
Miller- see Quaider
Morrow - no confidence
Trotman - no skill
Warofsky - no sample

 

[BigGoalBrad]

If we had beaten the Habs and Rags and made the finals and had an even shorter offseason after playing another dozen games this team would almost certainly have fewer points than it does right now.


Just saying.

 

[Trap Jesus]

The first line got erased, and a top 4 d-man was never replaced.

There, even got it to rhyme.

 

[Johnmbs1962]

They stayed too loyal to certain players of the cup winning team instead of the identity and characteristics that got them their success......

a team brimming with character, toughness (not just fighting), and a brotherhood type of atmosphere in the locker room......they were never the most talented team but they played the hardest and had the most heart. Mistakes in drafting over the years, some bad gambles/moves and accumulation of injuries have hurt combined with being up against the cap at a time they have to pay up for their core......

not beyond repair when 2 of those contracts are bergeron and rask, even in a worst case scenario these 2 are a dream for any GM to rebuild around if it comes to it......

 

[WhalerTurnedBruin55]

Chiarelli made a few bad moves leaving the team with some glaring holes.
The team under performs and some key players don't play up to expectation.
Some of those players get injured.

Left deadline feeling underwhelmed with some key points on our team still with glaring holes.

It's not 2011 anymore, and some of those players are still living off of their reputation from then.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

No identity.

This.
Play great one night like the Chicago game, then lose to teams they should beat.

 

[Fenian24]

Deciding to become soft as and lose your identity as a tough team that stands up for each other. Losing leaders in Thornton, Iginla and Boychuk and replacing them with Simon Gagne, Seth Griffith and Matt Bartkowski doesn't help either.

Basically everything Chiarelli has done in the past two years has lead to this team being mediocre and farther away from a cup than they have been in a long time.

 

[LouJersey]

Crackeritis on the part of the players

No unity other than McQuaid.

A staff that was slow to bring in skill and let them play

A GM who has had an awful two years.

A coach that plays Greg Campbell upwards of 15 min per game and one that refuses to deviate when teams like Montreal have you figured out

 

[Over the volcano]

Success makes rosters unsustainable in a cap world.

 

[LouJersey]

Success makes rosters unsustainable in a cap world.

Agreed, but this team would have been better off with guys like Spooner, Pasta and Ferlin here earlier than they were. We seem to miscast players here too much.. Spooner needed to learn center up here all season. Chris Kelly should never sniff top 6 action.. Pasta should have been up here way sooner than he was and shouldn't have been at the WJC.. Ferlin was exactly what the 4th line was missing all year. A guy like Talbot was needed much earlier as well, get some character back into that room.

We had answers internally just per the norm extremely slow to react. Hopefully they have a big enough cushion to hold on.

 

[Over the volcano]

Agreed, but this team would have been better off with guys like Spooner, Pasta and Ferlin here earlier than they were. We seem to miscast players here too much.. Spooner needed to learn center up here all season. Chris Kelly should never sniff top 6 action.. Pasta should have been up here way sooner than he was and shouldn't have been at the WJC.. Ferlin was exactly what the 4th line was missing all year. A guy like Talbot was needed much earlier as well, get some character back into that room.

We had answers internally just per the norm extremely slow to react. Hopefully they have a big enough cushion to hold on.

Oh hell yes- they should have been a little more honest with themselves about this being a transition year. Maybe the injuries left them scrambling a bit, maybe they just got caught up in the short term picture as they just couldn't build any momentum and started to feel the heat. Whatever it was it's good to see the kids getting the time now, even though it feels more like an odd collection of players than a cohesive team.

 

[LouJersey]

Oh hell yes- they should have been a little more honest with themselves about this being a transition year. Maybe the injuries left them scrambling a bit, maybe they just got caught up in the short term picture as they just couldn't build any momentum and started to feel the heat. Whatever it was it's good to see the kids getting the time now, even though it feels more like an odd collection of players than a cohesive team.

That's a great point. Pretty sure you and I don't really care where we finish, but would have been cool to be an 8 seed with this guys all year over being an 8 seed with all that mish mash we sat through... The important thing is, it seems to be put together now, decent mix, is there time to gel? Would love to see what Connolly would be bringing right now.

 

[Sweeney Tard]

Success makes rosters unsustainable in a cap world.

I agree that success makes rosters unsustainable, but success itself can absolutely be sustained in a salary-capped sport. Just ask Ken Holland or Bill Belichick. Unfortunately prudent, creative drafting, shrewd asset management, and knowing when to move on from a player are all crucial attributes of such an organization and it's hard to claim with a straight face that any of them describe our Boston Bruins.

 

[Shoebottom]

Change of team identity from Big & Bad to soft & skilled, injuries to best players, cap hell, and no replacement for top right wing = #8 in standings. All in all, good position to be in.

 

[Artemis]

Agreed, but this team would have been better off with guys like Spooner, Pasta and Ferlin here earlier than they were. We seem to miscast players here too much.. Spooner needed to learn center up here all season. Chris Kelly should never sniff top 6 action.. Pasta should have been up here way sooner than he was and shouldn't have been at the WJC.. Ferlin was exactly what the 4th line was missing all year. A guy like Talbot was needed much earlier as well, get some character back into that room.

We had answers internally just per the norm extremely slow to react. Hopefully they have a big enough cushion to hold on.

I agree with much of this, but I take issue with saying Pastrnak should have been here earlier. First of all, he was injured in camp, so that set him back, but the main thing is that he needed to learn the North American game, and to adjust to life here, and trying to do that in Boston would have been counterproductive. He had to make his mistakes (and he made his share) out of the spotlight and away from the pressure. Going to the WJC also did him a lot of good and gave him a great shot of confidence (not to mention appreciation to the Bruins for allowing him to go - that's a cherished time for a young player, especially one who was undoubtedly feeling some pangs of homesickness).

The concern now about Pastrnak lies in hitting the rookie wall. He was looking a bit gassed at the end of Tuesday's game, and it wasn't a surprise that he had a maintenance day yesterday. He (and we) were told that there could be games he'll have his ice time cut or even be scratched, because he's an 18-year-old boy who's played a ton in the past few months, not because the coach hates him or doesn't want to win, but I can guarantee that a certain segment of fans will go off their rockers over it.

 

[LouJersey]

I agree with much of this, but I take issue with saying Pastrnak should have been here earlier. First of all, he was injured in camp, so that set him back, but the main thing is that he needed to learn the North American game, and to adjust to life here, and trying to do that in Boston would have been counterproductive. He had to make his mistakes (and he made his share) out of the spotlight and away from the pressure. Going to the WJC also did him a lot of good and gave him a great shot of confidence (not to mention appreciation to the Bruins for allowing him to go - that's a cherished time for a young player, especially one who was undoubtedly feeling some pangs of homesickness).

The concern now about Pastrnak lies in hitting the rookie wall. He was looking a bit gassed at the end of Tuesday's game, and it wasn't a surprise that he had a maintenance day yesterday. He (and we) were told that there could be games he'll have his ice time cut or even be scratched, because he's an 18-year-old boy who's played a ton in the past few months, not because the coach hates him or doesn't want to win, but I can guarantee that a certain segment of fans will go off their rockers over it.

Have you had the chance to see him live yet? Worth the price of the ticket..

Granted I saw one of his better games vs NJ but I can't remember being more impressed with a young player than I was then. Constant motion. Knowing where to be . Wanting to be "the man". He's going to be a great one IMO. The rest will catch up but he has the "unteachables" to be honest. Just born with it.

 

[LSCII]

Cap mismanagement, terrible drafting, terrible pro scouting, valuing the wrong attributes in players, and general apathy. That's how it happens.

And if I'm being completely honest, Iginla merely masked the issue with this roster last year. They have a dearth of elite offensive players on this team, and they simply don't value it. So you end up with a roster full of tweeners and grinders who can't score consistently.

 

[Roll 4 Lines]

Regular Season means almost nothing.

Start another thread in 2 months about going from the Finals to the Presidents Trophy to the Finals, in 3 successive years.

 

[Artemis]

Have you had the chance to see him live yet? Worth the price of the ticket..

Granted I saw one of his better games vs NJ but I can't remember being more impressed with a young player than I was then. Constant motion. Knowing where to be . Wanting to be "the man". He's going to be a great one IMO. The rest will catch up but he has the "unteachables" to be honest. Just born with it.

Yes, I've seen him at development camp, with Providence, and with Boston. He has that rare combination of natural talent, intelligence and desire. The sky's the limit for him.

What impresses me the most I think isn't his talent, it's that he doesn't think he's the best thing since sliced bread, as a lot of young, talented players do. He wants to get better. You certainly can't teach skill (though you can refine/improve it), but you also can't teach attitude. It's impressive that at the age of 18 he already "gets it."

 

[LouJersey]

Yes, I've seen him at development camp, with Providence, and with Boston. He has that rare combination of natural talent, intelligence and desire. The sky's the limit for him.

What impresses me the most I think isn't his talent, it's that he doesn't think he's the best thing since sliced bread, as a lot of young, talented players do. He wants to get better. You certainly can't teach skill (though you can refine/improve it), but you also can't teach attitude. It's impressive that at the age of 18 he already "gets it."

Not sure... I think he knows he's the most skilled player on the ice at 18, and I think he loves it..Like I think he has a great work ethic it seems, was hustling all over the ice, but I do think he has a high opinion of himself...just keeps it on the DL

 

[Artemis]

Not sure... I think he knows he's the most skilled player on the ice at 18, and I think he loves it..Like I think he has a great work ethic it seems, was hustling all over the ice, but I do think he has a high opinion of himself...just keeps it on the DL

Oh yeah, he doesn't have false modesty, for sure. What I mean is that he looks to be listening to guys like Chara and Bergeron and not acting like he doesn't need to learn from them. I've always thought one of the things that makes smart people smart is that they are always eager to learn.

 

[shelbysdad]

Lost in defensive zone coverage.

I have never seen the Bs give up so many goals with people just looking around....

Good adjustment by Claude tonight breaking up Bart and Seids after 3 horrible coverages lead to the first 3 Ottawa goals