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Bruins dealing with coach search, injuries and a possible retirement |
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The Boston Bruins finished this season with 107 points. They were the NHL's 10th best team. Twenty-two teams were below them in the standings. The Bruins ranked fourth in the league in goals-against average.
The Bruins have star power and a consistently strong defensive system.
If you consider their points-per-game average during the 56-game 2020-21 COVID-season, the Bruins are on a run of five consecutive 100-plus point seasons.
On paper, the Bruins still look strong. But as you watched Bruins news unfold this week, they now seem like a sputtering team looking for answers.
General manager Don Sweeney fired coach Bruce Cassidy Monday
"I just felt that the messaging and the voice that was going to be required," Sweeney said. "I felt that we needed a new direction."
Cassidy is a coach with a .672 winning percentage with the Bruins. Three years ago, he took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final.
But after the Bruins were eliminated by a Game 7 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, there were hints that management was considering a coaching change.
Rumors started to circulate that not every player was on board with Cassidy's style. Sweeney said he factored in players' thoughts before making his decision to fire Cassidy.
"They're not driving the bus in terms of making my decisions," Sweeney said. "I honestly believe that they impact our hockey club more than any of us. They're invested and I think they want to know how invested the organization is. I don't want to take anything away from what they're trying to accomplish as a group. I honestly believe that it doesn't matter what they're necessarily saying individually. It's collectively as a group and how much they think they can accomplish. And they agreed with me, because I used the statement that we had left something on the table and they felt the same way. Young or old, I think there's a message delivery that I think a new voice will resonate with them."
Unfortunately for the Bruins, the firing of Cassidy isn't the biggest news of the offseason. It was revealed recently that Charlie McAvoy will have shoulder surgery and be out six months. The Bruins already knew that Brad Marchand (hip) and Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder) will also miss the start of next season. Patrice Bergeron and Mike Reilly are in rehabilitation for long-term injuries.
And if that isn't enough, Bergeron is contemplating retirement.
What it means is that a team that considered itself a contender this season now seems like a team with an uncertain future.
The Bruins knew this time was coming. Tuukka Rask is now retired. Bergeron will be 37 next month. Brad Marchand is 34. But the Bruins were not anticipating this much angst this summer.
Certainly, the Bruins won't overreact to the injuries. Teams all deal with injuries. That's life in the NHL.
But suddenly, there are questions about what this team will be like next season. Who is the right coach for this team? How challenging will it be for the team to adjust to a new coaching system when crucial players are missing in training camp?
Is this the time to start a slow retooling of the roster?
If Bergeron retires, how will they replace him offensively and defensively? Will they start slowly next season because of all of the injuries? Could a slow start doom them in the Atlantic Division? The Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Ottawa are all improving.
The Bruins still have enough talent on the roster to be 100-point team. But talent can't help when it is on the injury list.
Blogger •HHOF Writer's column on the NHL • 
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