Ty Anderson: The Inevitable

I'm not sure much really needs to be done to tweak the Bruins. There not the team they were & can't be. That is the price of success in a cap world.

Yes they missed the playoffs but the entire top 4 D got devastated by injuries & they lost their #1 C for essentially 1/2 the season. That killed their playoff hopes. Factor in that Smith essentially experienced a sophomore slump, yes he played 37 games at the tail end of his rookie season, Soderberg hit the wall in or around week 20 & frankly on many nights Rask just wasn't Rask but that relates back to Chara, Hamilton, Miller & McQuad all missing extended periods.

I think Chiarelli was a brilliant GM & accomplished what few have. He got the Bruins to the Cup final twice & won it for the 1st time for the Bruins in 39 years. Was he perfect no. The cap & salary issues after the cup win forced some hard choices but Neely meddled in his affairs & if the rumors are true several of the issues we harbor ill will to are on Neely not Chiarelli but we may never truly know.

Horace Greeley of The Hockey Show (www.thehockeyshow.net) feels they are waiting so that they continue to pay him his Asst GM salary...

Horace Greeley of The Hockey Show (www.thehockeyshow.net) feels they are waiting so that they continue to pay him his Asst GM salary...
- alty

Horace Greeley died in 1872.

Horace Greeley of The Hockey Show (www.thehockeyshow.net) feels they are waiting so that they continue to pay him his Asst GM salary...
- alty

- smellmyfinger

I'm on the fence here. As most bruins fans my age I grew up watching Sweeney and Bourque on the blue line. So I do like having someone from the team (that i liked as a player) as GM, but I also feel like the bruins would do better with another fresh set of eyes, away from the 'ol boys club.

I would hate to see what happened in Edmonton happen in Boston, where you have all these alumni in the front office doing NOTHING to advance the team.

On the other side of things, it's nice to have someone familiar with the system and players. If the Bruins indeed want to keep said system (and Julian) around another year.

Maybe someone fresh from outside the system would benefit the team more?

I'm on the fence here. As most bruins fans my age I grew up watching Sweeney and Bourque on the blue line. So I do like having someone from the team (that i liked as a player) as GM, but I also feel like the bruins would do better with another fresh set of eyes, away from the 'ol boys club.

I would hate to see what happened in Edmonton happen in Boston, where you have all these alumni in the front office doing NOTHING to advance the team.

On the other side of things, it's nice to have someone familiar with the system and players. If the Bruins indeed want to keep said system (and Julian) around another year.

Maybe someone fresh from outside the system would benefit the team more?
- Charlie.Conway

Wouldn't mind if Bourque joined the front office in some capacity. (I think he is currantly a consultant, not totally positive?)

Totally with you on the EDM bit. If you can remember back when the Oil made the playoffs (pepperidge farm remembers) they were mid shift in getting many alumni up in the front office. That was the beginning of a decade of turbulence. I am hoping there is better hockey sense in who we choose. Sweeney has been in management for a while, but a fresh set of eyes also holds some appeal.

I'm in agreement with Ty on Sweeney being the man though. All signs just seem to point to this guy taking over. It will be interesting to see what he is capable of with GM power. Right now though, I feel like we need to get this done, and start contract talks with the RFA's. Would hate to see (however unlikely) some team offer sheet dougie for a ridiculous amount, we match, and then have to decide to let someone else go because we couldnt get our poop done in time. Would be nice to get Dougie and the others done, and possibly move savard's contract to help a team get to the cap floor. Lets end the cap hell now, and not make it worse by giving other teams the opportunity to dictate what we will have to pay our young players.

I think a little more than tweak needs to be done to this team. The Bruins have a combination of bad contracts, players on the decline and aging players who should have never got the contracts they got. I would like to see the new GM make the following moves.

1. Identify a core of no more than 4 players. Mine is Bergeron, Rask, Hamilton, Pastrnak.

2. Build around said core and move what's either overpaid and/or not part of the future:

-Krejci
-Lucic
-Seidenberg
-Chara(Only if the return is truly worth it...so opposite of the Seguin or Thornton deals.)


3. Restock the farm with something other than mediocre centers and undersized "puck moving" defenders.

I think a little more than tweak needs to be done to this team. The Bruins have a combination of bad contracts, players on the decline and aging players who should have never got the contracts they got. I would like to see the new GM make the following moves.

1. Identify a core of no more than 4 players. Mine is Bergeron, Rask, Hamilton, Pastrnak.

2. Build around said core and move what's either overpaid and/or not part of the future:

-Krejci
-Lucic
-Seidenberg
-Chara(Only if the return is truly worth it...so opposite of the Seguin or Thornton deals.)


3. Restock the farm with something other than mediocre centers and undersized "puck moving" defenders.
- glove_was_stuck

I think Neely went on record saying his vision of the team was to return to our old Identity: Big, Bad and hard to play against. I just can't see it ending well for the GM who decides to move Lucic and Chara. Not unless you can move those players and maintain Neely's vision.

Have players in mind that you would like to see in return for the players you listed?

I think Neely went on record saying his vision of the team was to return to our old Identity: Big, Bad and hard to play against. I just can't see it ending well for the GM who decides to move Lucic and Chara. Not unless you can move those players and maintain Neely's vision.

Have players in mind that you would like to see in return for the players you listed?
- dothedougie

Loses to Montreal every time. Enough of this prehistoric bullsh!t. How about hard to play against and can actually win. Like say...Chicago? (frank) big and bad. It needs to be left behind like everything else from the 70's.

Loses to Montreal every time. Enough of this prehistoric bullsh!t. How about hard to play against and can actually win. Like say...Chicago? (frank) big and bad. It needs to be left behind like everything else from the 70's.
- glove_was_stuck

Not much you can do when that is 'the vision' of the team. Don't know what to tell ya bud.

You probably already read this, but here is a nice article that might explain what we will be seeing from the B's management in the future.

http://www.bostonglobe.co...opmQnUXt3i6rFO/story.html

Not much you can do when that is 'the vision' of the team. Don't know what to tell ya bud.

You probably already read this, but here is a nice article that might explain what we will be seeing from the B's management in the future.

http://www.bostonglobe.co...opmQnUXt3i6rFO/story.html
- dothedougie

What still aggravates me is John Ferguson is even a thing here. Ultimately I would really like to see a front office headed up by Gorton or Julien Brisbois. But it will most likely be Sweeney. So I will give him and his plan a chance and hope to be happy with it. Otherwise I will be going to a lot more UMASS Lowell games rather than spending small fortunes at Bruins games.

At this point I just wanna see SOMEONE start GMing so we can get our "stuff" together before the draft and free agency.

Maybe if the rags lose tonight Sather will be so besides himself with greif he lets us talk to Gorton.

At this point I just wanna see SOMEONE start GMing so we can get our "stuff" together before the draft and free agency.

Maybe if the rags lose tonight Sather will be so besides himself with greif he lets us talk to Gorton.
- Charlie.Conway

At this point I just wanna see SOMEONE start GMing so we can get our "stuff" together before the draft and free agency.

Maybe if the rags lose tonight Sather will be so besides himself with greif he lets us talk to Gorton.
- Charlie.Conway

"business as usual" until then.

"business as usual" until then.
- dothedougie

In Eklund's buzzcast write up he was quoting someone saying how the whole business model is changing in hockey, and roles were shifting around, and Babcock will be able to command not only more money, but more responsibility.

And on that board someone mentioned Babcock coming to Boston and having a GM/Coaching role alongside Julien... This doesn't sound very likely to me, however I thought it sounded pretty interesting. I'm guessing this speculation stems from their relations with Canada Hockey, and they're just thinking since those two worked together on that it would make sense.

I thought it sounded quite interesting though... what do you guys think about that? I just couldn't see how the "Co-Coach" thing would work out.

In Eklund's buzzcast write up he was quoting someone saying how the whole business model is changing in hockey, and roles were shifting around, and Babcock will be able to command not only more money, but more responsibility.

And on that board someone mentioned Babcock coming to Boston and having a GM/Coaching role alongside Julien... This doesn't sound very likely to me, however I thought it sounded pretty interesting. I'm guessing this speculation stems from their relations with Canada Hockey, and they're just thinking since those two worked together on that it would make sense.

I thought it sounded quite interesting though... what do you guys think about that? I just couldn't see how the "Co-Coach" thing would work out.
- mixturebill

I feel like its a lot of money to invest in coaches. A Babcock-Julien combination sounds enticing, but at the same time highly unlikely. I heard Babcock wants more control over what his team looks like as well as being the lead guy behind the bench. I cant see this happening for the sole reason that Neely wants to shape the team's look.

I dont think babcock has any interest in dealing with contracts either. So lets pretend it does happen, he has GM privileges to go out and get the players he wants (assuming it aligns with Neely's vision), leaves the grunt work of contracts to Sweeney, and has the power to fire his fellow coach (Julien). Just seems like a broken structure to me with Sweeney and Julien getting the short end of the stick.

- Charlie.Conway

- Mr_Underwood

- Mr_Underwood

They heinous cause they anus.

They heinous cause they anus.
- glove_was_stuck

Put that on a T-shirt!