Management Maybe Cam and Don were right after all.....

[Ladyfan]

I am also thrilled with the start. I haven't watched much due to the audio issues on SN Now. and the highlights are the same. Frustrating.

I hope they keep it going and that leads to Pasta signing. But my gut says he won't and will be playing somewhere else a year from now.

Pasta will sign with the Bs (I hope)

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I have enjoyed the early success and it has certainly exceeded my expectations. Having said that, I do find their October schedule to be favorable.

November will be more challenging. They’ve done extremely well to bank points early. I hope it can continue.

While I’m at it, I know this probably isn’t the thread for it, but I have to give credit to Foligno. This a guy who was boo’d on opening night. He worked his ass of this off-season and has actually been effective and contributing. He still likely won’t live up fully to his contract, but I admire his resilience.

He hears the voices and the criticisms. He didn’t fold, he didn’t pout, he worked hard to get back on track. If you can’t appreciate that What can you?

Whatever was hampering Foligno's skating last season seems to have vanished. He looks like his old self so far this season.

 

[the negotiator]

I'm in the small group that thinks Sweeney is more than just fine. Just last week I called him a top 5 GM in the league.

People forget that all GMs have a record of hits and misses ...including Sweeney

when I look around the league there are a lot of teams that wish they had Sweeney and some that prefer what they have....whether top five or top ten I think he is significantly, better than how many on the board rate him

 

[Therick67]

Whatever was hampering Foligno's skating last season seems to have vanished. He looks like his old self so far this season.

I think he had a back issue. Good to see him playing well, as last year was a disaster..

 

[Over the volcano]

People forget that all GMs have a record of hits and misses ...including Sweeney

when I look around the league there are a lot of teams that wish they had Sweeney and some that prefer what they have....whether top five or top ten I think he is significantly, better than how many on the board rate him

Sweeney's mistakes are getting further and further away in the rearview mirror.

 

[ODAAT]

It's still early but the team has come out of the gate far better than anyone could have imagined especially with 2 key pieces not due back for at least another month.

Obviously, Ullmark has been a major factor but more importantly, the team is responding to Monty giving everyone a clean sheet.

Cam hinted that Cassidy was in trouble after the loss to Carolina

Management - State of the Bruins - Neely 5/19/22 (unedited)

BOSTON BRUINS PRESIDENT CAM NEELY… On an extension for Don Sweeney… “I started talking with Charlie [Jacobs] and Mr. [Jeremy] Jacobs after the deadline about extending Don, so that’s my plan, is to do that.” On if that is also Mr. Jacobs’ plan… “Yes.” On what’s left to do for the...

forums.hfboards.com

The timeline is important as even though Cam said Cassidy's future was Don's call, Sweeney was still in limbo as well.

Jim Montgomery was on their radar and they knew he had no issues working in St. Louis for the last 2 seasons as an assistant. More importantly, Monty was an outsider.

My gut feeling is Bergie would have retired if Cassidy came back.

View attachment 599022

great thread as usual friend, with you on may points, not sure either Bergy would have come back and if he didn`t return, you could all but kiss Krejci`s return goodbye too

My only concerns right now are Smitty and Freddy. I never doubt the effort from Smith, love the guy but at the end of the day, he needs to contribute offensively and isn`t so I`m expecting him to be moved out unless he gets on a heater, with the way he`s playing, no real significant return but $$$ moved out and Frederic? This guy simply confounds me, he can look totally engaged one night, then for 2-3 games play like he`s disinterested and his mind somewhere else.

Twice last night, once literally between the hash marks he has the puck on his stick with a great chance to shoot the puck and he dishes it off, next time, holds it too long, Stars D man takes it off him, too many plays dying on his stick. I know Lauko didn`t produce offense on the 4th line but he sure made life miserable for the opponent, I don`t see that from Freddy right now

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

So the good record is nice but let’s not pretend they don’t have things to tighten up, especially on the backend. I’m not going to be critical yet because they’re still not putting their full team on the ice yet and I suspect some of the defensive lapses to be less frequent once McAvoy is back. As it stands today, despite the 6-1 record, they too frequently give up odd man rushes the other way. So far Ullmark has bailed them out but that can only last so long given the law of averages. You cannot keep tempting fate that way before it catches up to you.

But again, full judgment is being held back until they ice their full team.

Is it weird that I take comfort in having them surviving more frequent odd man rushes vs what seemingly would happen in the Cassidy years which was long stretches of play in the offensive zone followed by giving up a goal on an infrequent odd man rush?

Maybe i'm just conditioned to love this shit from the Thomas years (people tend to forget how many odd man rushes and breakaways Thomas bailed them out on in the Cup run). Rask in 2013 too.

IDK, in a weird way I think playing a little more of a run & gun style is letting the goalies stay sharper and more involved even if it definitely looks worse.

 

[PlayMakers]

Isn’t Vegas also 6-1?

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Isn’t Vegas also 6-1?

6-2

 

[Therick67]

Sweeney's mistakes are getting further and further away in the rearview mirror.

Agreed. let's hope it continues. Getting pasta locked up would be another plus..

 

[Hookslide]

I am a huge dump on Sweeney guy , but I have to say and I know they gave up a a lot but the Lindholm trade is really one of his better moves, another move that I think will pay dividends is the Haula for Pavel trade , he gave up a 30 year old who I think stepped and did a fine job last year but I would not put money on a repeat season and in return gets former # 1 draft pick who has speed, skill, and size and is five years younger.........I could be wrong but I don't think so...........The problem Sweeney has is that he has painted himself into a corner with his cap issues and down the line with with the same problem he had was the center position until Krecji and Bergey signed , that can has been kicked down the road , not good ......Two other big problems he is facing is he needs defense help and he must sign Pasta............

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

I am a huge dump on Sweeney guy , but I have to say and I know they gave up a a lot but the Lindholm trade is really one of his better moves, another move that I think will pay dividends is the Haula for Pavel trade , he gave up a 30 year old who I think stepped and did a fine job last year but I would not put money on a repeat season and in return gets former # 1 draft pick who has speed, skill, and size and is five years younger.........I could be wrong but I don't think so...........The problem Sweeney has is that he has painted himself into a corner with his cap issues and down the line with with the same problem he had was the center position until Krecji and Bergey signed , that can has been kicked down the road , not good ......Two other big problems he is facing is he needs defense help and he must sign Pasta............

Defense help?!?

 

[Hookslide]

Defense help?!?

Yes that's what I said . McAvoy will be back that is huge , Gryz looks good have always liked his game WHEN HEALTHY , not a fan of Clifton and I am Carlo supporter but with all these concussions he is one hit away from being out for a long time and I am being king and not saying he could be sent to retirement...........Reilly ,I hope is out of here soon...

 

[McGarnagle]

I was very much in favor of keeping Bruce and dumping Don and Cam. Can't argue with results though.

As much as we think we have access to everything that matters these days with statistics and twitter, it's pretty clear there's a lot we just don't know about. It's pretty clear there were some issues between Bruce and the players. Looking at guys like Debrusk in particular. He's a totally different player right now.

That said, it's still early. Teams will come out with a new coach playing well then the initial boost will wear out or the league will catch up to the new system, etc.

 

[CamFan81]

I mean..."The regular season doesn't equate to playoff success" is a tautology. It's obviously true. Since they're not connected. But you're choosing a few regular season games to decide how the Bruins will fare in the playoffs. That seems to contradict the above at least in part.

Regardless of record, I can't understand how someone could be watching and conclude the Bruins are too small and not skilled enough to be an elite team. It's mind boggling.

"Mind Boggling"..... Hyperbole much?

First, I have no idea how you define elite. Is it making the playoffs? Is it winning one round?

There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey but it doesn't change the fact that the bruins were not skilled enough to make up for their weaknesses in last season's playoffs. They couldn't deal with Carolina's forecheck, they couldn't clear in front of their net, and they lost a lot of 50/50 battles along the boards.

So, tell me, what have you seen in the last 7 games that changes the above assessment. What have you seen in the last 7 games that tell you they're going to make it farther than they did last season.

And yes... I watched and saw what the bruins biggest weaknesses were last playoffs. And yes, there are a handful of teams (who will play the bruins multiple times) who will expose the bruins weaknesses, regardless of the final score.

I'm happy to see the Bruins do well, I just don't put as much stock into those wins as you do.

You don't watch hockey that way? That's great for you.
You treat each individual game and/or season as individual events? Congrats, that must be nice.

I don't. I don't ignore what I saw because I WANT them to be better. I don't ignore that the team that lost to Carolina is essentially the same team we have now. While the younger guys have one more year experience, the older guys have one more year of wear/tear on them.

We'll see if a new coach can have a bigger impact on playing to our strengths and fixing our weaknesses. I have my doubts because a coach can't teach size and strength, but maybe he can hide them better.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

"Mind Boggling"..... Hyperbole much?

First, I have no idea how you define elite. Is it making the playoffs? Is it winning one round?

There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey but it doesn't change the fact that the bruins were not skilled enough to make up for their weaknesses in last season's playoffs. They couldn't deal with Carolina's forecheck, they couldn't clear in front of their net, and they lost a lot of 50/50 battles along the boards.

So, tell me, what have you seen in the last 7 games that changes the above assessment. What have you seen in the last 7 games that tell you they're going to make it farther than they did last season.

And yes... I watched and saw what the bruins biggest weaknesses were last playoffs. And yes, there are a handful of teams (who will play the bruins multiple times) who will expose the bruins weaknesses, regardless of the final score.

I'm happy to see the Bruins do well, I just don't put as much stock into those wins as you do.

You don't watch hockey that way? That's great for you.
You treat each individual game and/or season as individual events? Congrats, that must be nice.

I don't. I don't ignore what I saw because I WANT them to be better. I don't ignore that the team that lost to Carolina is essentially the same team we have now. While the younger guys have one more year experience, the older guys have one more year of wear/tear on them.

We'll see if a new coach can have a bigger impact on playing to our strengths and fixing our weaknesses. I have my doubts because a coach can't teach size and strength, but maybe he can hide them better.

I’m not going to argue with someone who thinks we have essentially the same team as last year, when we’ve added David freaking Krejci and a full year of Lindholm, much less Zacha. And a new coach with a different system. Enjoy being doubtful and pessimistic I guess. I’m going enjoy the hell out of this ride.

 

[DiggityDog]

"Mind Boggling"..... Hyperbole much?

First, I have no idea how you define elite. Is it making the playoffs? Is it winning one round?

There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey but it doesn't change the fact that the bruins were not skilled enough to make up for their weaknesses in last season's playoffs. They couldn't deal with Carolina's forecheck, they couldn't clear in front of their net, and they lost a lot of 50/50 battles along the boards.

So, tell me, what have you seen in the last 7 games that changes the above assessment. What have you seen in the last 7 games that tell you they're going to make it farther than they did last season.

And yes... I watched and saw what the bruins biggest weaknesses were last playoffs. And yes, there are a handful of teams (who will play the bruins multiple times) who will expose the bruins weaknesses, regardless of the final score.

I'm happy to see the Bruins do well, I just don't put as much stock into those wins as you do.

You don't watch hockey that way? That's great for you.
You treat each individual game and/or season as individual events? Congrats, that must be nice.

I don't. I don't ignore what I saw because I WANT them to be better. I don't ignore that the team that lost to Carolina is essentially the same team we have now. While the younger guys have one more year experience, the older guys have one more year of wear/tear on them.

We'll see if a new coach can have a bigger impact on playing to our strengths and fixing our weaknesses. I have my doubts because a coach can't teach size and strength, but maybe he can hide them better.

It’s fascinating to me how someone can look at taking one of the best teams in the NHL last season to seven games and still try and paint it like they got swept.

If that’s not hyperbolic than I don’t know what is.

 

[CamFan81]

I’m not going to argue with someone who thinks we have essentially the same team as last year, when we’ve added David freaking Krejci and a full year of Lindholm, much less Zacha. And a new coach with a different system. Enjoy being doubtful and pessimistic I guess. I’m going enjoy the hell out of this ride.

I'm happy to have DK back, tell me how that fixes the weaknesses I've shared, same for Zacha.

I've acknowledged we have a new coach, and we'll see if he can mitigate our weaknesses. 7 games doesn't tell me that, you're confident already. That's enough for you, not for me.

Some are happy to just make the playoffs...

 

[DangleCity]

Sweeney's mistakes are getting further and further away in the rearview mirror.

Isn't there farm system ranked just about dead last? I wouldn't call that the rearview mirror, more like the iceberg dead ahead

 

[CamFan81]

It’s fascinating to me how someone can look at taking one of the best teams in the NHL last season to seven games and still try and paint it like they got swept.

If that’s not hyperbolic than I don’t know what is.

clearly.

I'm stating a fact, the bruins weren't good enough to win the cup last year. They didn't do enough to address our gaps. I'm concerned that we'll run into the same issue as last year, and the year before, and the year before that (well at least we won the presidents cup lol)

If stating that means I'm making it out to be that we got swept or whatever then so be it. You except participation trophies, I want to go all the way.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

"Mind Boggling"..... Hyperbole much?

First, I have no idea how you define elite. Is it making the playoffs? Is it winning one round?

There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey but it doesn't change the fact that the bruins were not skilled enough to make up for their weaknesses in last season's playoffs. They couldn't deal with Carolina's forecheck, they couldn't clear in front of their net, and they lost a lot of 50/50 battles along the boards.

So, tell me, what have you seen in the last 7 games that changes the above assessment. What have you seen in the last 7 games that tell you they're going to make it farther than they did last season.

And yes... I watched and saw what the bruins biggest weaknesses were last playoffs. And yes, there are a handful of teams (who will play the bruins multiple times) who will expose the bruins weaknesses, regardless of the final score.

I'm happy to see the Bruins do well, I just don't put as much stock into those wins as you do.

You don't watch hockey that way? That's great for you.
You treat each individual game and/or season as individual events? Congrats, that must be nice.

I don't. I don't ignore what I saw because I WANT them to be better. I don't ignore that the team that lost to Carolina is essentially the same team we have now. While the younger guys have one more year experience, the older guys have one more year of wear/tear on them.

We'll see if a new coach can have a bigger impact on playing to our strengths and fixing our weaknesses. I have my doubts because a coach can't teach size and strength, but maybe he can hide them better.

I agree that it's wise to temper expectations this early in the year. They will absolutely hit rough patches and it'll be interesting to see how they handle them.

But at no point in the last 2 years was this team even remotely as entertaining as they have been so far under Monty. Cassidy is a good coach who had a lot of success here, but as a fan I think the Cassidy era was the most boring on-ice Bruins product since at least the 90s IMO.

 

[CamFan81]

But at no point in the last 2 years was this team even remotely as entertaining as they have been so far under Monty. Cassidy is a good coach who had a lot of success here, but as a fan I think the Cassidy era was the most boring on-ice Bruins product since at least the 90s IMO.

Understood.

Please tell me how that relates to what I said.

 

[DKH]

I have a friend who works for a Div 1 Hockey East team and when Clifton came to the Bruins he told my brother and me that he was "the meanest little SOB" in the entire Hockey East program.

He’s going to get paid this offseason

Hopefully someone gives him the Bruins overpay

What about rated

"Mind Boggling"..... Hyperbole much?

First, I have no idea how you define elite. Is it making the playoffs? Is it winning one round?

There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey but it doesn't change the fact that the bruins were not skilled enough to make up for their weaknesses in last season's playoffs. They couldn't deal with Carolina's forecheck, they couldn't clear in front of their net, and they lost a lot of 50/50 battles along the boards.

So, tell me, what have you seen in the last 7 games that changes the above assessment. What have you seen in the last 7 games that tell you they're going to make it farther than they did last season.

And yes... I watched and saw what the bruins biggest weaknesses were last playoffs. And yes, there are a handful of teams (who will play the bruins multiple times) who will expose the bruins weaknesses, regardless of the final score.

I'm happy to see the Bruins do well, I just don't put as much stock into those wins as you do.

You don't watch hockey that way? That's great for you.
You treat each individual game and/or season as individual events? Congrats, that must be nice.

I don't. I don't ignore what I saw because I WANT them to be better. I don't ignore that the team that lost to Carolina is essentially the same team we have now. While the younger guys have one more year experience, the older guys have one more year of wear/tear on them.

We'll see if a new coach can have a bigger impact on playing to our strengths and fixing our weaknesses. I have my doubts because a coach can't teach size and strength, but maybe he can hide them better.

I hope you are joking. Same team lol

 

[bruinmann77]

Too early to really make an evaluation on Monty; I appreciate the entertaining wins but a few were entertaining because sloppy play kept it close until the end.

Great start for the short handed team good Start with Monty and Linus has been a stud

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Understood.

Please tell me how that relates to what I said.

"There were quite a few 5-1, 6-1, 7-1 stretches last season where the bruins played entertaining hockey"