The Athletic - Boston Neely: "We have to be as brutally honest as possible"

[Gator Mike]

Second day in a row where Bruins leadership has come out with some interesting quotes:

'We have to be as brutally honest as possible': Graying Bruins face leaner years

“We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of good hockey for us, a lot of years for us, and their careers are somewhat winding down,” president Cam Neely said. “We have to really take a hard look at where we’re at as an organization. Can we compete again for the Stanley Cup? If we can, what do we have to do to our roster to do that? So we really have to be honest with ourselves in assessing our team, assessing our players and the organization, seeing where we think we really are going to be. We have to be as brutally honest as possible about where we think we’re going to be the next couple years. We have to react accordingly to that.”

​

“We could be,” Neely said when asked if they’ll be a cap club. “It’s just a matter of do we want to be, where we’re at and what’s going to happen next year. Until we really find out when we are starting and how many games is the season going to be, that’s going to be a factor in some of the decisions we’re going to make. We may not have the luxury to make those decisions. So we’ll have to go on that we’re playing a full 82-game schedule, and we’re going to try to put the best team on the ice we can.”​

Reading between the lines, I'm wondering if the Bruins are seriously contemplating blowing things up.

Click to read more...

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

Can't

Burns needs his revenue flow

Brutally honest probably means they don't resign Nordstrom and consider Brett Ritchie a possible loss.

 

[Baddkarma]

Hmmmm, honesty. Sounds like some vets may be on the move...

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

Hopefully, Chara hangs em up.

 

[bruinmann77]

I can't see Zee coming back unless its for 1 Million.
Rask and DK could be moved tooIMO

 

[BAD BOY]

Second day in a row where Bruins leadership has come out with some interesting quotes:

'We have to be as brutally honest as possible': Graying Bruins face leaner years

“We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of good hockey for us, a lot of years for us, and their careers are somewhat winding down,” president Cam Neely said. “We have to really take a hard look at where we’re at as an organization. Can we compete again for the Stanley Cup? If we can, what do we have to do to our roster to do that? So we really have to be honest with ourselves in assessing our team, assessing our players and the organization, seeing where we think we really are going to be. We have to be as brutally honest as possible about where we think we’re going to be the next couple years. We have to react accordingly to that.”

​

“We could be,” Neely said when asked if they’ll be a cap club. “It’s just a matter of do we want to be, where we’re at and what’s going to happen next year. Until we really find out when we are starting and how many games is the season going to be, that’s going to be a factor in some of the decisions we’re going to make. We may not have the luxury to make those decisions. So we’ll have to go on that we’re playing a full 82-game schedule, and we’re going to try to put the best team on the ice we can.”​

Reading between the lines, I'm wondering if the Bruins are seriously contemplating blowing things up.

I was saying no yesterday hearing what Sweeney was saying. Now I hear Neely it’s looks like a rebuild. At least they are deciding one way or another. Not being stuck in the middle.

 

[Bruin4Life]

I dig it. Blow it up.
I'm down for some fun

 

[TD Charlie]

They COULD be a cap club?

dislike

 

[chizzler]

I doubt they rebuild.

 

[Oates2Neely]

What would a rebuild entail? Can’t see them moving Bergeron or Marchand. So they shop Krejci, let Krug walk, and don’t resign Chara? Is that really a rebuild?

 

[TheReal13Linseman]

What would a rebuild entail? Can’t see them moving Bergeron or Marchand. So they shop Krejci, let Krug walk, and don’t resign Chara? Is that really a rebuild?

Depends what they bring in to replace them.

 

[member 96824]

Being brutally honest starts at the mirror, Cameron.

 

[easton117]

What would a rebuild entail? Can’t see them moving Bergeron or Marchand. So they shop Krejci, let Krug walk, and don’t resign Chara? Is that really a rebuild?

Think they’d have to ban Cassidy from playing the top line together if they hope to bottom out altogether. That line has played with 3 3rd/4th lines for a while now and still won a lot of games.

I guess you could sell Rask as well. Or make him play without equipment for a year.

 

[Dr Hook]

Think they’d have to ban Cassidy from playing the top line together if they hope to bottom out altogether. That line has played with 3 3rd/4th lines for a while now and still won a lot of games.

I guess you could sell Rask as well. Or make him play without equipment for a year.

just have a massive fire sale on anyone over 23 and only take picks and prospects in return. Call up a bunch of Providence kids and go for it

 

[trenton1]

This sounds they are bracing for or considering a 1-2 year re-tool, to me. That could mean the end for Chara, Rask and Krejci and lots of kids getting NHL minutes this winter. Maybe an offer sheet or a big UFA signing in 2021 when the fans return and the concession stands are open again.

Crazy enough, Pasta is a UFA in 3 years so I don't expect a blow up. I think they will compete again in the Bergeron era but they may not go all out for a bubble season. The Bruins top brass always worries about the gate and the concessions.

 

[easton117]

just have a massive fire sale on anyone over 23 and only take picks and prospects in return. Call up a bunch of Providence kids and go for it

If I was taking an extremely dark look at things overall, there might never be a better year to do so.

Odds aren’t great you’ll have fans anyway, so it’s not like they have to worry about sellouts.

Still can’t see them moving on from Bergeron/Marchand. You need some guys who have been through the ringer to teach the young guys. That and who wants to be the guy to trade Bergy. That’s like selling your firstborn.

 

[Dr Hook]

If I was taking an extremely dark look at things overall, there might never be a better year to do so.

Odds aren’t great you’ll have fans anyway, so it’s not like they have to worry about sellouts.

Still can’t see them moving on from Bergeron/Marchand. You need some guys who have been through the ringer to teach the young guys. That and who wants to be the guy to trade Bergy. That’s like selling your firstborn.

I wasn’t being serious because I don’t feel that dark either, but that is how they could do it if papa Jacobs could stand to miss 2-3 years of playoff revenue. Bruins could build a new dynasty that way

 

[sarge88]

This sounds they are bracing for or considering a 1-2 year re-tool, to me. That could mean the end for Chara, Rask and Krejci and lots of kids getting NHL minutes this winter. Maybe an offer sheet or a big UFA signing in 2021 when the fans return and the concession stands are open again.

Crazy enough, Pasta is a UFA in 3 years so I don't expect a blow up. I think they will compete again in the Bergeron era but they may not go all out for a bubble season. The Bruins top brass always worries about the gate and the concessions.

That would be disappointing, as IMO they can ice a contender this year and next, while ensuring at least a reasonable chance at success beyond that.

Hall is in his prime with a solid 5-6 years of productivity left. Pasta and McAvoy even more.

Sign Hall, get another winger and move some ancillary pieces for picks and prospects with an eye to the future.

 

[bp13]

Second day in a row where Bruins leadership has come out with some interesting quotes:

'We have to be as brutally honest as possible': Graying Bruins face leaner years

“We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of good hockey for us, a lot of years for us, and their careers are somewhat winding down,” president Cam Neely said. “We have to really take a hard look at where we’re at as an organization. Can we compete again for the Stanley Cup? If we can, what do we have to do to our roster to do that? So we really have to be honest with ourselves in assessing our team, assessing our players and the organization, seeing where we think we really are going to be. We have to be as brutally honest as possible about where we think we’re going to be the next couple years. We have to react accordingly to that.”

​

“We could be,” Neely said when asked if they’ll be a cap club. “It’s just a matter of do we want to be, where we’re at and what’s going to happen next year. Until we really find out when we are starting and how many games is the season going to be, that’s going to be a factor in some of the decisions we’re going to make. We may not have the luxury to make those decisions. So we’ll have to go on that we’re playing a full 82-game schedule, and we’re going to try to put the best team on the ice we can.”​

Reading between the lines, I'm wondering if the Bruins are seriously contemplating blowing things up.

Reads exactly to me like “We are preparing to move on from Zdeno Chara and we are gonna cloak it in some sort of organizational commitment to being brutally honest.”

 

[bp13]

And you don’t “blow up” a Presidents Cup team when the majority of the key players are still under contract. They aren’t gonna blow up anything. But it does sound like they plan to move on from a fan favorite or two and are starting the PR early.

 

[ranold26]

It's not a blow up.
The core is done.
Change is coming.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Brutally honest would mean he fires himself.

Since 2012 the roster has aged and gotten soft and shallow. The player decisions have been underwhelming overall under Neely and this spans 2 GMs now. It has become more and more of an old boys club in the front office as well.

 

[PlayMakers]

Neely Comments...

Re: Old centers
Certainly aware of the age of Bergeron and Krech. On the wrong side of 30. Studnicka showed some good things and we're hoping he can eventually step in to be one of those offensive centermen. We'll see where Frederic and Beecher end up... It's something we're certainly aware of.

Re: Lack of size & physicality...
Have to look internally and externally to address it. We've talked about it a lot since leaving the bubble, what does our roster makeup need to look like moving forward. Internally, we have to see if Frederic can play on a regular basis. Ritchie, we thought was going to be helpful but unfortunately we didn't get as many reps with him as we would've liked.

Re: 2-3 Takeaways from the playoffs...
Playoff hockey is different than regular season hockey. Carolina series was more like regular season, fast skating skill game and we did OK with that. Tampa is a strong hockey club, their size, the size of their D... we had trouble getting inside to shoot the puck. When we did shoot, we missed the net. We've got to get inside the dots more than we did in that last series. [And the implication was they need guys who are capable of getting inside position].

Re: Chara coming back...
He's the best. Leader, mentor, work ethic, yada yada... That said, we have to look at where we're headed and what we need, and what role Zdeno could play for us.

Re: Tukka's recently leaves of absence (plural)
Everybody has issues away from their job and Tuukka's no different. It's a matter of how he feels he has to handle it, and we have to react accordingly. It's unfortunate the timing of it (the most recent one), but there's not much we could have done about that.

Re: Krug
I understand the players side. Nobody will begrudge Torey for getting a better deal elsewhere. We love him on and off the ice. He became a leader for us but at the end of the day both sides have to do what's right for them.

Re: Changes to the roster, how much is based on knowing you have to go thru Tampa going forward?
Lots of teams in our division have already started to rebuild, MTL, OTT, FLA... but we also have to look at the conference and who we have to go thru so you can't get too far ahead of yourself (picking your opponents). Again, regular season hockey and playoff hockey are different. You have to think about how you're going to beat those good teams in the playoffs.

 

[GordonHowe]

Second day in a row where Bruins leadership has come out with some interesting quotes:

'We have to be as brutally honest as possible': Graying Bruins face leaner years

“We’ve got some guys that have played a lot of good hockey for us, a lot of years for us, and their careers are somewhat winding down,” president Cam Neely said. “We have to really take a hard look at where we’re at as an organization. Can we compete again for the Stanley Cup? If we can, what do we have to do to our roster to do that? So we really have to be honest with ourselves in assessing our team, assessing our players and the organization, seeing where we think we really are going to be. We have to be as brutally honest as possible about where we think we’re going to be the next couple years. We have to react accordingly to that.”

​

“We could be,” Neely said when asked if they’ll be a cap club. “It’s just a matter of do we want to be, where we’re at and what’s going to happen next year. Until we really find out when we are starting and how many games is the season going to be, that’s going to be a factor in some of the decisions we’re going to make. We may not have the luxury to make those decisions. So we’ll have to go on that we’re playing a full 82-game schedule, and we’re going to try to put the best team on the ice we can.”​

Reading between the lines, I'm wondering if the Bruins are seriously contemplating blowing things up.

WELL THEN, LET'S HAVE YOUR BRUTAL REVIEW.

Get it together, Cam. Get it together, Don.

You know what Bruins fans want. Not tweeners. Not soft.

I could go on about

''

You should know what to do.

 

[Gordoff]

WELL THEN, LET'S HAVE YOUR BRUTAL REVIEW.

Get it together, Cam. Get it together, Don.

You know what Bruins fans want. Not tweeners. Not soft.

I could go on about

''

You should know what to do.

SHOULD know.