The Athletic - Boston Will the Bruins improve? Will Zdeno Chara return? Our fan survey results

[Fenway]

At some point, we believe, the NHL and NHLPA will settle their differences and flash the green light for a new season. When that happens, the Bruins will be operating with the future in mind as well as the present, perhaps more so than they were last season.

With that in mind, we asked your opinions on some of the adjustments the change-on-the-fly Bruins have made for the upcoming season. Here are your answers:

Will the Bruins improve? Will Zdeno Chara return? Our fan survey results

Did the Bruins make the right move by not re-signing Torey Krug?

Was signing Craig Smith enough to improve the offense?

Should the Bruins have traded Tuukka Rask?

If Rask is healthy, plays well this season and wants to keep playing, should the Bruins sign him to a reasonable extension?

Should the Bruins re-sign Zdeno Chara?

If Krejci is healthy and productive, should the Bruins sign him to a reasonable extension?

Which prospect should break camp with the Bruins?

Would you attend a game at TD Garden before widespread vaccine distribution?

If fans are allowed inside the Garden, how should tickets be priced?

Will the Bruins be better, worse or roughly the same in the new season?

​

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[GordonHowe]

At some point, we believe, the NHL and NHLPA will settle their differences and flash the green light for a new season. When that happens, the Bruins will be operating with the future in mind as well as the present, perhaps more so than they were last season.

With that in mind, we asked your opinions on some of the adjustments the change-on-the-fly Bruins have made for the upcoming season. Here are your answers:

Will the Bruins improve? Will Zdeno Chara return? Our fan survey results

Did the Bruins make the right move by not re-signing Torey Krug?

Was signing Craig Smith enough to improve the offense?

Should the Bruins have traded Tuukka Rask?

If Rask is healthy, plays well this season and wants to keep playing, should the Bruins sign him to a reasonable extension?

Should the Bruins re-sign Zdeno Chara?

If Krejci is healthy and productive, should the Bruins sign him to a reasonable extension?

Which prospect should break camp with the Bruins?

Would you attend a game at TD Garden before widespread vaccine distribution?

If fans are allowed inside the Garden, how should tickets be priced?

Will the Bruins be better, worse or roughly the same in the new season?

​

Thanks for this.

Tellingly, "Roughly the same" speaks volumes relative to the direction of this management, and their team.

Meh.

That's what it's going to be folks, for the foreseeable future, until the Stockholm Brothers are finally jettisoned.

 

[RoccoF14]

Thanks for this.

Tellingly, "Roughly the same" speaks volumes relative to the direction of this management, and their team.

Meh.

That's what it's going to be folks, for the foreseeable future, until the Stockholm Brothers are finally jettisoned.

Yeah, it sure does suck to be a Bruins fan.....

100+ points each season and a Stanley Cup finals appearance over the last 3 years.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Yeah, it sure does suck to be a Bruins fan.....

100+ points each season and a Stanley Cup finals appearance over the last 3 years.

No Cup no glory.

I don't mean to be too simplistic. Always count your blessings first - the Bruins teams of the last 3 years have given us fans a lot to enjoy and be thankful for, a good deal of success, and a playing style that's been a bit dour and offensively limited at times but has also produced some really entertaining games and moments too. For the most part they've also been a very likeable, close-knit bunch of guys who are easy to support.

But I firmly believe this group, given the position it was in leading up to the last 2-3 years in terms of roster, cap situation, draft picks etc., was not only capable of winning a Cup, but should have done so. They haven't. In the great scheme of life, and even within the smaller context of sport and being a fan, does that really matter? Well no, not really, but it's that little bit frustrating and it hurts to know that your team has let a golden opportunity likely pass it by when it's hard enough to get in a position to be a genuine contender, let alone win the thing. You have to take your chances when they come and the Bruins as an organization are unfortunately notoriously bad at that.

As far as this survey goes, the Boston fanbase is usually pretty well-informed and I'd say the results reflect that. Fine to let Krug go in the circumstances, Smith is a nice add but doesn't move the needle far enough on offense, Rask needs to stay, at least for now, Studnicka is hopefully the next big thing, etc. Ditto on our prospects for next season. They're just 'meh'. Have a lot of things go right and they can still contend and make waves in the postseason. But as it stands the team looks no better and may well be worse than the one that came up short last season and, let's be completely honest, was always likely to even without the Covid break.

So there's no sign they're making one last serious Cup push with the existing core, but as an alternative are they doing enough to build for the future, or just treading water? It looks like room has been left for a couple of prospects and young'uns to make their mark, whether that's a Studnicka or Zboril trying to pin down a long-term spot for the first time or a Lauzon to cement his place as a main roster guy. Players like McAvoy and Coyle will hopefully continue to grow into their roles as future senior leaders of the team, DeBrusk and Carlo get to continue to prove their long-term worth on their bridge deals. Looking further afield, the team's cap hit is not bogged down by any long-term high-value contracts tied to aging stars. That's all fine. But is it enough?

I'm not convinced. I feel like management is in two minds - they don't want to completely give up on their Cup hopes and their veterans, but won't give them their full support, nor will they completely look to the future and commit now to a rebuilding phase, however exactly that looks. I fear the result of that will be a 2021 season ( if we ever get one) that's just mediocre - the Bs will have a reasonable regular season inferior to the last 2 but still good enough to make the playoffs, only to get bundled out again by the 2nd round with too little to show for it in terms of developing their future prospects. That's not an enticing thought.

 

[Blowfish]

My biggest concern over the next 3-5 years are teams building for the future...

Sens, Rangers, Wings, Sabres, etc...and a very good Tampa team with a load of young talent to rebuild on the fly.

With Krejci/Rask contracts set to expire .... 2021 will be telling which direction the bruins take. I don't see the bruins competing with Tampa and worried about teams rebuilding .... I think it's time the bruins make some bold moves yet not feeling confident the bruins will see success drafting in the top 30. The bruins can't afford to face another 2015 disaster.

 

[BMC]

No Cup no glory.

I don't mean to be too simplistic. Always count your blessings first - the Bruins teams of the last 3 years have given us fans a lot to enjoy and be thankful for, a good deal of success, and a playing style that's been a bit dour and offensively limited at times but has also produced some really entertaining games and moments too. For the most part they've also been a very likeable, close-knit bunch of guys who are easy to support.

But I firmly believe this group, given the position it was in leading up to the last 2-3 years in terms of roster, cap situation, draft picks etc., was not only capable of winning a Cup, but should have done so. They haven't. In the great scheme of life, and even within the smaller context of sport and being a fan, does that really matter? Well no, not really, but it's that little bit frustrating and it hurts to know that your team has let a golden opportunity likely pass it by when it's hard enough to get in a position to be a genuine contender, let alone win the thing. You have to take your chances when they come and the Bruins as an organization are unfortunately notoriously bad at that.

As far as this survey goes, the Boston fanbase is usually pretty well-informed and I'd say the results reflect that. Fine to let Krug go in the circumstances, Smith is a nice add but doesn't move the needle far enough on offense, Rask needs to stay, at least for now, Studnicka is hopefully the next big thing, etc. Ditto on our prospects for next season. They're just 'meh'. Have a lot of things go right and they can still contend and make waves in the postseason. But as it stands the team looks no better and may well be worse than the one that came up short last season and, let's be completely honest, was always likely to even without the Covid break.

So there's no sign they're making one last serious Cup push with the existing core, but as an alternative are they doing enough to build for the future, or just treading water? It looks like room has been left for a couple of prospects and young'uns to make their mark, whether that's a Studnicka or Zboril trying to pin down a long-term spot for the first time or a Lauzon to cement his place as a main roster guy. Players like McAvoy and Coyle will hopefully continue to grow into their roles as future senior leaders of the team, DeBrusk and Carlo get to continue to prove their long-term worth on their bridge deals. Looking further afield, the team's cap hit is not bogged down by any long-term high-value contracts tied to aging stars. That's all fine. But is it enough?

I'm not convinced. I feel like management is in two minds - they don't want to completely give up on their Cup hopes and their veterans, but won't give them their full support, nor will they completely look to the future and commit now to a rebuilding phase, however exactly that looks. I fear the result of that will be a 2021 season ( if we ever get one) that's just mediocre - the Bs will have a reasonable regular season inferior to the last 2 but still good enough to make the playoffs, only to get bundled out again by the 2nd round with too little to show for it in terms of developing their future prospects. That's not an enticing thought.

@Aussie Bruin I just want to say how much I enjoy your posts. They're always thoughtful & thought provoking even when I don't agree, although in this instance I think you have definitely hit the nail on the head.

 

[BMC]

Thanks for this.

Tellingly, "Roughly the same" speaks volumes relative to the direction of this management, and their team.

Meh.

That's what it's going to be folks, for the foreseeable future, until the Stockholm Brothers are finally jettisoned.

Yes, we're going back to being just good enough to suck the fans into the Garden but not good enough to win the whole thing. I think @Aussie Bruin's post nails the situation down.

I don't get it- did Jeremy & Charlie Jacobs learn nothing from the debacle that forced them into firing Mike O'Connell and going outside the former Bruins box to bring Peter Chiarelli in???? Are we going to have to go through this again?? This business of hiring ex-Bruins has got to stop, it clearly does not work. Sweeney is very good on contracts & finding undrafted free agents (props to scouting department too) but with exception of the Coyle/Donato trade he hasn't done well there & his UFA signings have been bad. I give him a pass on David Backes- nobody could have predicted his health issues (IMO particularly his colon problem) would have sent his career downhill so quickly. And of course his drafting has left a lot to be desired, with the exception of David Pastrnak. I'm not a fan of Cam Neely as President either. Great player but mediocre executive. There seems to be some conflict as to what kind of team they should be- Neely seems to want big & bad (makes sense, he was that kind of player) and Sweeney seems to want small & softer (again, makes sense he wasn't that big & he wasn't a bone crusher when he played). As President Neely needs to make sure everyone is on the same page- decide what you want to be as a team & then go get the players to create that team. The Jacobses don't seem to care what kind of team they have as long as people show up to watch them so there's no direction from them to Neely, as there should be so he can then tell Sweeney what he needs to do. So instead we get somewhat mixed signals from the front office. Hell of a way to run a railroad, never mind an NHL franchise.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Thanks for this.

Tellingly, "Roughly the same" speaks volumes relative to the direction of this management, and their team.

Meh.

That's what it's going to be folks, for the foreseeable future, until the Stockholm Brothers are finally jettisoned.

"Roughly the same" being one of the top teams in the league.

What an odd direction for management to take, eh?

 

[smithformeragent]

The old Dan Duquette "more days in first place" discussion all over again.

Would you rather be steadily in contention over a long period of time?

or

Would you rather be up and down? Win a Cup. Go into the lottery. Win another Cup.

We've assuredly been spoiled round these parts, and we've seen all sides of this.

The Patriots had a long stretch from 2005-2013 where they were winning divisions and making deep runs, but not winning Super Bowls.

The Red Sox as of late are feast or famine. Win a World Series one year. Bottom out the next.

The Celtics and Bruins have been consistently in the top echelon of their respective leagues, but have no hardware to show for it over this most recent window.

Focusing in on just the B's: Is it better now than it was in the mid to late 90s and early 2000s?

Yes, of course.

But the bar has been raised in this town. The core has aged. They came away with just the one Cup.

Now, they've let Krug walk and haven't brought in a big time player along the likes of a Taylor Hall to get fans excited about the team.

To be honest, these survey results make the fanbase look a little soft as far as I'm concerned.

 

[DominicT]

Chara will sign a deal (somewhere) once a decision on what a season looks like, and only if it suits him. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with a bubble, but more about what the finances look like. I just can't see him signing a deal that pays him anything less than $1.5 million (prorated). With 20% (for now) going to escrow and 10% (for now) being deferred and not knowing how bonuses can be structured yet, it's not worth his while.

 

[TD Charlie]

The old Dan Duquette "more days in first place" discussion all over again.

Would you rather be steadily in contention over a long period of time?

or

Would you rather be up and down? Win a Cup. Go into the lottery. Win another Cup.

We've assuredly been spoiled round these parts, and we've seen all sides of this.

The Patriots had a long stretch from 2005-2013 where they were winning divisions and making deep runs, but not winning Super Bowls.

The Red Sox as of late are feast or famine. Win a World Series one year. Bottom out the next.

The Celtics and Bruins have been consistently in the top echelon of their respective leagues, but have no hardware to show for it over this most recent window.

Focusing in on just the B's: Is it better now than it was in the mid to late 90s and early 2000s?

Yes, of course.

But the bar has been raised in this town. The core has aged. They came away with just the one Cup.

Now, they've let Krug walk and haven't brought in a big time player along the likes of a Taylor Hall to get fans excited about the team.

To be honest, these survey results make the fanbase look a little soft as far as I'm concerned.

I'm fine with being in contention and waiting around...as long as at SOME POINT you really throw your stick into the pile and play. The Celtics have sat around on the fringe of greatness for almost just as long as the Bruins.

I understand you can't go for broke every year without hanging out in the cellar for a few years in between. The Bruins and the Celtics however, are the last two left in the room holding their shmenzers, but the cameras have been shut off and everyone else has gone home.

 

[TCB]

On paper there's no way you could look at this Bruins team as currently constructed and say they will be roughly the same as last year. 51 % believe so. That's just baffling too me.

I think the Leafs and Canadiens fixed the polls.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

. The Jacobses don't seem to care what kind of team they have as long as people show up to watch them so there's no direction from them to Neely, as there should be so he can then tell Sweeney what he needs to do. So instead we get somewhat mixed signals from the front office. Hell of a way to run a railroad, never mind an NHL franchise.

So you think there should be direction from ownership to Neely on what kind of team the Bruins should be?

I'd have to say that would be foolish.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

was not only capable of winning a Cup, but should have done so. You have to take your chances when they come and the Bruins as an organization are unfortunately notoriously bad at that.As far as this survey goes, the Boston fanbase is usually pretty well-informed and I'd say the results reflect that. Fine to let Krug go in the circumstances, Smith is a nice add but doesn't move the needle far enough on offense, Rask needs to stay, at least for now, Studnicka is hopefully the next big thing, etc. Ditto on our prospects for next season. They're just 'meh'. Have a lot of things go right and they can still contend and make waves in the postseason. But as it stands the team looks no better and may well be worse than the one that came up short last season and, let's be completely honest, was always likely to even without the Covid break.

So there's no sign they're making one last serious Cup push with the existing core, but as an alternative are they doing enough to build for the future, or just treading water? It looks like room has been left for a couple of prospects and young'uns to make their mark, whether that's a Studnicka or Zboril trying to pin down a long-term spot for the first time or a Lauzon to cement his place as a main roster guy. Players like McAvoy and Coyle will hopefully continue to grow into their roles as future senior leaders of the team, DeBrusk and Carlo get to continue to prove their long-term worth on their bridge deals. Looking further afield, the team's cap hit is not bogged down by any long-term high-value contracts tied to aging stars. That's all fine. But is it enough?

I'm not convinced. I feel like management is in two minds - they don't want to completely give up on their Cup hopes and their veterans, but won't give them their full support, nor will they completely look to the future and commit now to a rebuilding phase, however exactly that looks. I fear the result of that will be a 2021 season ( if we ever get one) that's just mediocre - the Bs will have a reasonable regular season inferior to the last 2 but still good enough to make the playoffs, only to get bundled out again by the 2nd round with too little to show for it in terms of developing their future prospects. That's not an enticing thought.

Great post.

But I don't agree about last year's team being likely to come up short even without the bubble. Without the Covid break the Bruins were riding high and they would have had their number one goaltender playing. Certainly Halak's mediocre play was a huge factor in their loss to Tampa.

 

[BMC]

So you think there should be direction from ownership to Neely on what kind of team the Bruins should be?

I'd have to say that would be foolish.

The owners of a business usually decide how the business will present itself. Who else should make that decision?

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

The owners of a business usually decide how the business will present itself. Who else should make that decision?

The hockey people that are hired to do so.

Neely & Sweeney.

Ownership of a pro sports team is not like ownership of most business.

 

[Alicat]

Chara will sign a deal (somewhere) once a decision on what a season looks like, and only if it suits him. Personally, I don't think it has anything to do with a bubble, but more about what the finances look like. I just can't see him signing a deal that pays him anything less than $1.5 million (prorated). With 20% (for now) going to escrow and 10% (for now) being deferred and not knowing how bonuses can be structured yet, it's not worth his while.

He can do whatever he wants to do. He's earned that right.

I do hope we get him for another season. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the big man just yet.

 

[Blowfish]

Imagine Chara on the leafs blues or bolts? I can't so he needs to retire a bruin.

 

[DominicT]

He can do whatever he wants to do. He's earned that right.

I do hope we get him for another season. I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to the big man just yet.

Agreed.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet you will get your wish.

 

[Alicat]

Agreed.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet you will get your wish.

Would be a nice present under the tree

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Great post.

But I don't agree about last year's team being likely to come up short even without the bubble. Without the Covid break the Bruins were riding high and they would have had their number one goaltender playing. Certainly Halak's mediocre play was a huge factor in their loss to Tampa.

Thanks and I should have made clear that I do think their chances would have been better without the break. As you say, put in Rask, plus a fit, in-form Pasta and a team that had been motoring along very nicely and they would have been a tough matchup for anybody. But I still think they lose to Tampa. Probably it goes to 6 or 7 games rather than 5, but I still see them as a stumbling block for the Bs. Of course you can never really know - maybe we would never even have faced the Bolts in that scenario, or maybe we would have clicked at just the right time and gone on a tear through anybody and everybody, but then again we could have had April injuries and a shock 1st round exit. That's hockey.

To go back to the main point of my previous post though, my feeling in this regard is that while the 19/20 Bruins were a good team and with a little luck a genuine Cup contender, they weren't as strong as they could have been and were missing the couple of pieces that turn 'in the mix' into 'outright favorite' or close to it. There's no need to rehash why or to what extent that was - it's been well and truly done to death on the board. What matters most now is the future and that's where I can't quite fathom what Sweeney & co are trying to achieve. There's some mixed signals coming out that maybe I'm simply too slow to understand, but as it stands I'm less enthused and optimistic about the team's prospects and situation for next season than I have been since at least 2016.

Edit: I should say too that obviously the season hasn't started yet, so I don't mean to completely pre-judge and the roster come game 1 may yet look somewhat different, hopefully for the better.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

@Aussie Bruin I just want to say how much I enjoy your posts. They're always thoughtful & thought provoking even when I don't agree, although in this instance I think you have definitely hit the nail on the head.

Thanks @BMC! Appreciate your input too. And you've been very welcoming of me ever since I showed up here.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Thanks and I should have made clear that I do think their chances would have been better without the break. As you say, put in Rask, plus a fit, in-form Pasta and a team that had been motoring along very nicely and they would have been a tough matchup for anybody. But I still think they lose to Tampa. Probably it goes to 6 or 7 games rather than 5, but I still see them as a stumbling block for the Bs. Of course you can never really know - maybe we would never even have faced the Bolts in that scenario, or maybe we would have clicked at just the right time and gone on a tear through anybody and everybody, but then again we could have had April injuries and a shock 1st round exit. That's hockey.

To go back to the main point of my previous post though, my feeling in this regard is that while the 19/20 Bruins were a good team and with a little luck a genuine Cup contender, they weren't as strong as they could have been and were missing the couple of pieces that turn 'in the mix' into 'outright favorite' or close to it. There's no need to rehash why or to what extent that was - it's been well and truly done to death on the board. What matters most now is the future and that's where I can't quite fathom what Sweeney & co are trying to achieve. There's some mixed signals coming out that maybe I'm simply too slow to understand, but as it stands I'm less enthused and optimistic about the team's prospects and situation for next season than I have been since at least 2016.

Edit: I should say too that obviously the season hasn't started yet, so I don't mean to completely pre-judge and the roster come game 1 may yet look somewhat different, hopefully for the better.

So which way do you think the Bruins should go right now?

Should they go for another run this season, or play for the future? Chara or no Chara? Add another piece to the puzzle or screw the puzzle and try to acquire draft picks and/or prospects?

 

[Aussie Bruin]

So which way do you think the Bruins should go right now?

Should they go for another run this season, or play for the future? Chara or no Chara? Add another piece to the puzzle or screw the puzzle and try to acquire draft picks and/or prospects?

I'm in the 'one more year' camp. Which to me means going hard for a Cup in 2021 and prioritizing immediate success, especially as I think a shortened season may favor the Bruins' veterans. That doesn't mean completely ignoring our future needs or giving up too many draft picks or prospects, it just means a willingness to be a little more aggressive and make some deals and moves that will pay off only in the next 1-2 years, rather than just tinkering with the existing roster and hoping for the best. Craig Smith is a nice add, but he doesn't make the Bruins a significantly better team. Without getting into the specifics, I'd like to have seen more done, even if that involved taking on greater risk, to a point. Whether that's another top-6 forward, an elite D, or whatever else, I think there have been decent possibilities within our cap restraints that management haven't been able to make reality, at least so far.

Within that scenario, on Chara I'd ideally like to see him get one more season for around $1.2 mil or under, with Zee taking on a reduced role and a new top 4 defender slotting in above him. If he's not comfortable with that then I'd reluctantly let him go. But given the Bruins have recruited precisely nobody else for our blueline, then I think they may as well make use of him however best they can and give him the proper swan song he deserves.

The flip side of all that is I'm open to the argument that the Bruins' window is firmly shut and their realistic Cup chances have for now passed them by. If you take that point of view then I don't see the point in wasting a season just kind of hanging around and hoping for the best. Let's start rebuilding for the long-term future now, since delay likely only increases the time until you can field a genuine contending team again. Start hunting draft picks, good kids, looking to offload the likes of Krejci while they're still worth something, however you do it, just get the ball rolling. It'll hurt but will hopefully pay off in the long run, and I could get behind it even if I might think it's a little premature.

It's this apparent prevaricating that I don't like, neither headed in one direction or the other, with a team that still seems geared largely towards another playoff run but without great prospects of ultimate success. While you're standing still the rest of the competition will pass you by.

 

[GordonHowe]

"Roughly the same" being one of the top teams in the league.

What an odd direction for management to take, eh?

We shall see.

And if you are right, I will say so.