Ty Anderson: Again, the Bruins should not fire Claude Julien

So Krejci will have surgery on his hip within the next week or two and the recovery is around 4 months.

Rumor is that the Bs messed that whole thing up as people close to Krejci said he should have had the surgery last offseason instead of waiting. He was struggling with it for the final 20 games this season.

That would probably mean Krejci as a trade chip is doubtful now?

Maybe it's time to change the training staff too?

Keep Claude. There isn't a better option in my opinion. Let's trust Sweeny to bring in the pieces needed to keep the puck on the right side of our blue line. Given Spooner's development this year maybe Krejci could be used in order to bring in a stud on the back end. I also like what the college kids are bringing to the table as of late. That's pretty good scouting if you ask me. We have plenty of young forward prospects, so it only makes sense to deal from our strengths and address our weaknesses. I know everyone is calling for Sweeney and Claude to get gassed but maybe let's wait and see what can be done in the offseason in regards to moves and upgrades. I think it would be a mistake to fire Claude, and Sweeny has only been at the helm for a year. We have time for a retooling. The core is still in their prime.
Trade Rask as well. He may fetch a kings ransom considering how many of the posters on here are blinded by what the mainstream media writes. Many think he is a top 5- 10 tender in the league.
I do not.

The more I think of it the more I believe this team "should" unload most older players and tank next season. (Seidenberg, Chara, and maybe Krejci and Rask)

There are no D-men that will be upgrades in FA and the kids just drafted are a couple seasons away.

If Sweeney if forced to try to make the playoffs next season, instead of thinking it through and taking a year to develope and teach the kids, we are going to be in a very very bad place after next season.

If they try to do another "retool" like this season and keep CJ they will be out of the playoffs by New Years. The trajectory is just in that direction.

At what point do we look at the style of game that Julien/B's front office coaches/teaches to where the game is heading? The offensive skill and talent from a depth perspective is sorely lacking in comparison to rest of the teams in the NHL.

Instead of arguing about whether they should keep Julien or not should we be focusing on the "Big Bad Bruin" mentality that the front office has but yet the players that are drafted and playing in the NHL are more Spooners than Lucics at this point.

6-1 beatdown by an AHL team is being sorely overlooked at the moment. Look at the roster on Saturday for the Senators, it was an AHL team. The Bruins went out on home ice with not even a whimper. Isn't that cause for concern? Next season will be more of the same

Ty, if the Bruins keep Julien, what do you suggest they do in this upcoming offseason to prevent this from happening for the 3rd year in a row? Things have obviously gone stale on Causeway Street and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

I agree. Love'em or Hate'em, Julien did pretty damn good with the hand he was dealt. The fact there are really no better options out in the market right now, the B's would be wise to hold onto him and start to look down the roster and hold the players accountable for another disappointing finish to the season.

Unless your name is Bergeron, Marchand, Belesky or Ericsson, you really didn't earn your money this year and need to take a long look in the mirror.

In my opinion the plus and minuses of this season:

Minus:
- For me, it all started at the draft. I still shake my head at the Hamilton trade. Then the three they pick? I watch Zboril in the Q on a regular basis, the kid is good, but he's not first round good and will likely be a 5-6 D-man if or when he makes it to the NHL. Why they didn't take Travis Konecy or Matt Barzal with one of those picks is beyond me.
- Defense - That whole corp was just awful.
- Rask inconsistency
- Terrible start to the year and not winning the "winnable" games when it counted most (i.e. New Jersey, Carolina and Ottawa)
- Depth up front - Outside the top 6, it got very thin in the production department. Some good role player guys, but they don't put points on the board.
- Sweeney's inability to make impact roster moves.

Plus:
- Bergeron
- Marchand
- Belesky - May not have killed it in the points department, but he played with passion every night.
- Ericsson - Sad to see him go in free agency
- Some bright spots for the future - Frank Vatrano, Colin Miller, Landon Ferraro
- Reliable back up goaltending - Aside from the Ottawa debacle (only the most important game of the year), overall Gustavson had a decent year and there was a strong sense he could get the job done when called upon. Not like backups from years past.

Unless some things get addressed this off season, this could be the start of a long stretch of seeing the B's on the outside looking in come playoff time. The only hope is Tampa takes a bit of a step back next year (i.e. let Stamkos walk), Buffalo doesn't make much progress in their rebuild and Montreal doesn't regain confidence with Price back in net. Florida is for real, Toronto is Toronto and Detroit will always hang around. Of course, then you just roll the dice on Ottawa and god knows what you get with them.

Should be another interesting off season.

At what point do we look at the style of game that Julien/B's front office coaches/teaches to where the game is heading? The offensive skill and talent from a depth perspective is sorely lacking in comparison to rest of the teams in the NHL.

Instead of arguing about whether they should keep Julien or not should we be focusing on the "Big Bad Bruin" mentality that the front office has but yet the players that are drafted and playing in the NHL are more Spooners than Lucics at this point.

6-1 beatdown by an AHL team is being sorely overlooked at the moment. Look at the roster on Saturday for the Senators, it was an AHL team. The Bruins went out on home ice with not even a whimper. Isn't that cause for concern? Next season will be more of the same

Ty, if the Bruins keep Julien, what do you suggest they do in this upcoming offseason to prevent this from happening for the 3rd year in a row? Things have obviously gone stale on Causeway Street and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.
- tunmasterflex

If we're talking pure fantasy land trades?

To Colorado: David Krejci, Dennis Seidenberg, Malcolm Subban, Jakub Zboril, SJ 1st.
To Boston: Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie.

Colorado replaces Duchene with a proven playoff performer, reunite Iginla with Krejci, and acquire some additional beef with Seidenberg (I feel like the Bruins could theoretically 'fool' the Avs given their love for this type of player), but also restock their youth a bit with Subban/Zboril and that first round pick. Bruins get a suitable Krejci replacement and upgrade their defense. Again, this is probably fantasy land, but it's the Avalanche, so you never know.

Or something like...

To St. Louis: Krejci, Hayes, Zboril, SJ 1st
To Boston: Shattenkirk, Steen.

Steen would be your Eriksson replacement, and maybe Hayes could be the Blues' replacement for Troy Brouwer. Again, fantasy land, but would be a package -- or something close to it -- that I think you could/should explore if the Blues are bounced early.

....

Free agency wise. I sign a kick-in-the-ass presence like Dale Weise (yes, that Weise) and add a Brian Campbell or Jason Demers if the trade route does not pan out. Re-sign Chris Kelly on the cheap to be your 13th forward/insurance policy.

If we're talking pure fantasy land trades?

To Colorado: David Krejci, Dennis Seidenberg, Malcolm Subban, Jakub Zboril, SJ 1st.
To Boston: Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie.

Colorado replaces Duchene with a proven playoff performer, reunite Iginla with Krejci, and acquire some additional beef with Seidenberg (I feel like the Bruins could theoretically 'fool' the Avs given their love for this type of player), but also restock their youth a bit with Subban/Zboril and that first round pick. Bruins get a suitable Krejci replacement and upgrade their defense. Again, this is probably fantasy land, but it's the Avalanche, so you never know.

Or something like...

To St. Louis: Krejci, Hayes, Zboril, SJ 1st
To Boston: Shattenkirk, Steen.

Steen would be your Eriksson replacement, and maybe Hayes could be the Blues' replacement for Troy Brouwer. Again, fantasy land, but would be a package -- or something close to it -- that I think you could/should explore if the Blues are bounced early.

....

Free agency wise. I sign a kick-in-the-ass presence like Dale Weise (yes, that Weise) and add a Brian Campbell or Jason Demers if the trade route does not pan out. Re-sign Chris Kelly on the cheap to be your 13th forward/insurance policy.
- tyanderson

What are the costs of the Dumba, Trouba, Brodin and Shattenkirk types out there?

Would Rask and/or Krejci, plus get us a couple of them?

I don't see any team being as foolish as Sweeney was and giving one of those top 10 drafted overall D-men for a 1st and a couple 2nds, unfortunately.

What are the costs of the Dumba, Trouba, Brodin and Shattenkirk types out there?

Would Rask and/or Krejci, plus get us a couple of them?

I don't see any team being as foolish as Sweeney was and giving one of those top 10 drafted overall D-men for a 1st and a couple 2nds, unfortunately.
- JIwasinskiJr

Trouba price is/was absurd. As was Brodin, last I checked. Your best bet as Sweeney is basically what happened to him last year, where a RFA has no interest in re-signing with his team and you just have to sell for what you can. I haven't necessarily picked up on that sort of vibe from any of those guys, though WPG isn't keen on giving Trouba the world.

Scheifele will get the big bucks this off season. Look for Trouba to get a bridge deal.

Scheifele will get the big bucks this off season. Look for Trouba to get a bridge deal.
- Muskwa

What a year Scheif had. One of the big takeaways in an otherwise frustrating year.

If we're talking pure fantasy land trades?

To Colorado: David Krejci, Dennis Seidenberg, Malcolm Subban, Jakub Zboril, SJ 1st.
To Boston: Matt Duchene, Tyson Barrie.

Colorado replaces Duchene with a proven playoff performer, reunite Iginla with Krejci, and acquire some additional beef with Seidenberg (I feel like the Bruins could theoretically 'fool' the Avs given their love for this type of player), but also restock their youth a bit with Subban/Zboril and that first round pick. Bruins get a suitable Krejci replacement and upgrade their defense. Again, this is probably fantasy land, but it's the Avalanche, so you never know.

Or something like...

To St. Louis: Krejci, Hayes, Zboril, SJ 1st
To Boston: Shattenkirk, Steen.

Steen would be your Eriksson replacement, and maybe Hayes could be the Blues' replacement for Troy Brouwer. Again, fantasy land, but would be a package -- or something close to it -- that I think you could/should explore if the Blues are bounced early.

....

Free agency wise. I sign a kick-in-the-ass presence like Dale Weise (yes, that Weise) and add a Brian Campbell or Jason Demers if the trade route does not pan out. Re-sign Chris Kelly on the cheap to be your 13th forward/insurance policy.
- tyanderson

The Flames need a goalie. How about Rask and Hayes for Brodie and Jooris? I love fantasy trades.

Ty Anderson: Again, the Bruins should not fire Claude Julien
- tyanderson

Sometimes a coach gets fired not because he's a bad coach, or at fault for the team's failings, but simply because the team wants to have another voice in the locker room. I think there's a pretty good chance he's gone. This regime doesn't seem overly sentimental.

Also, where was Rask in the last game? Is he hurt?

Trouba price is/was absurd. As was Brodin, last I checked. Your best bet as Sweeney is basically what happened to him last year, where a RFA has no interest in re-signing with his team and you just have to sell for what you can. I haven't necessarily picked up on that sort of vibe from any of those guys, though WPG isn't keen on giving Trouba the world.
- tyanderson

So we might be looking to bandaids for a couple years while we hope Carlo develops into a top pair guy. Ugh........ We are running out of tradable assets.

Krejci, Rask, and firsts may be all we have left and there value is argably pretty low (injuries and poor seasons.) Young potential top pairing D-men under team control are the most valuable asset in hockey right now. And rightfully so.

I agree that CJ is a great coach and he will not last long on the open market. I think, however that if there is a another high caliber coach (not Milbury!) available then the Bruins should pursue that option. That last game against Ottawa really bothered me. The Bruins never had that sense of urgency or intensity right from the puck drop in a game that was essentially their game 7. As Ty mentions, it's not the first time the Bruins under CJ failed to come up big in a very important game. Can you blame the coach for that? Absolutely, he shoulders a significant part of the blame for his inability to motivate and lead his troops. I just think his shelf life has expired in Boston.
And my hunch is that he's coached his last game in Boston.

I knew that Krejci was not playing at 100%, glad to hear that he's going for the surgery that he maybe should of had last season. I see a lot of comments about trading 46, which I cannot fathom. Firstly, he has a NTC so he would have to OK it.
Secondly, he is the catalyst for a lot of our offense. The Bruins go as Krejci goes. To suggest that Spooner could replace him with little or no degradation is completely wrong. Spooner is a good 3rd line center, but he will never be a David Krejci. When will this guy get a little respect from Bruins fans?
For my part, from this generation of Bruins who won us a cup I think a 46 hanging in the rafters would not look out of place beside a 37 and a 33.

Danton Heinen signed his entry-level contract with the Bruins, by the way.

I agree that CJ is a great coach and he will not last long on the open market. I think, however that if there is a another high caliber coach (not Milbury!) available then the Bruins should pursue that option. That last game against Ottawa really bothered me. The Bruins never had that sense of urgency or intensity right from the puck drop in a game that was essentially their game 7. As Ty mentions, it's not the first time the Bruins under CJ failed to come up big in a very important game. Can you blame the coach for that? Absolutely, he shoulders a significant part of the blame for his inability to motivate and lead his troops. I just think his shelf life has expired in Boston.
And my hunch is that he's coached his last game in Boston.

I knew that Krejci was not playing at 100%, glad to hear that he's going for the surgery that he maybe should of had last season. I see a lot of comments about trading 46, which I cannot fathom. Firstly, he has a NTC so he would have to OK it.
Secondly, he is the catalyst for a lot of our offense. The Bruins go as Krejci goes. To suggest that Spooner could replace him with little or no degradation is completely wrong. Spooner is a good 3rd line center, but he will never be a David Krejci. When will this guy get a little respect from Bruins fans?
For my part, from this generation of Bruins who won us a cup I think a 46 hanging in the rafters would not look out of place beside a 37 and a 33.
- bruinsnerd

I love Krejci too, but who else holds the same value as a trade chip other than Patrice? We have to give something substantial in order to get what we need? I often wonder what kind of numbers he would put up if he wasn't in Claude's system. I think he is more valuable as a two way, 200' player but if he was allowed to wheel whenever he felt like it he could put up scary numbers?

I love Krejci too, but who else holds the same value as a trade chip other than Patrice? We have to give something substantial in order to get what we need? I often wonder what kind of numbers he would put up if he wasn't in Claude's system. I think he is more valuable as a two way, 200' player but if he was allowed to wheel whenever he felt like it he could put up scary numbers?
- shoreorrpark

We all know that D is the Bruins biggest issue to address and it doesn't look like there is any easy answers to our dilemma. But one of the Bruins greatest strengths has always been down the middle with Krech and Bergy, both are still young enough for a minor rebuilding to happen and us to be a contender again within their careers. Elite D-men are hard to find, but elite centerman are nearly as hard to acquire and we have two of the best. I can't see the Bruins winning a reasonable trade that involves Krech. The most common knock on Krejci is his consistency, maybe when compared to Bergy, but who in the league has a Bergy level of consistency? I also believe, if he stays healthy Krejci's best years are still upcoming.

Danton Heinen signed his entry-level contract with the Bruins, by the way.
- tyanderson

Seems we have tons of forward depth, especially from the college ranks. I doubt we will convince Vesey to sign here at this point, but if we did then damn!

Are Grzelcyk or O'Gara ready to make the jump next season from the NCAA? Would it be too soon for Carlo?

If only we could figure out the next season or two until these guys are ready.

The Flames need a goalie. How about Rask and Hayes for Brodie and Jooris? I love fantasy trades.
- shoreorrpark

Hah we'd fall apart without Brodie.

A lot of people commenting on Sweenie messing up with the 1st rounders. Biggest mistake was passing on Kyle Connor three times!

All that said, you guys got jobbed out of two wins a few weeks ago on blown calls if I remember correctly. Refs costed you guys the playoffs.

In the aftermath of the Wideman incident we (Flames fans) got jobbed out of so many games. Couldn't respect NHL officiating less right now. I feel for you guys.

I think people are waaaaaaaaaaaay over valuing Ryan Spooner. Even playing injured, Krejci is a much more complete player, and twice as valuable to the team as Spoons. To think after one decent season that Spooner would just slip into Krejci's spot and all would be right is mind-boggling. I'm not here to toot Krejci's horn, because I was disappointed with his output this season just as much as anyone else here. You also wouldn't get a deal for Krejci that many of you seem to think you would. He's becoming injury prone and is nearing the end of his prime.

In closing, Spooner is not 2nd line talent.

What if Sweeney signed Loui & trades Marchand while his value is at its peak next year?

Ty that trade with Colorado

I know you prefaced it with fantasy land but still

Ty that trade with Colorado

I know you prefaced it with fantasy land but still
- Just5

That's what I'm saying. It's pure fantasy land.