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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 6:51:55 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 6:53:21 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 6:53:58 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:00:06 GMT -5
The dressing room, Bruce Cassidy regularly noted, belonged to the players. Cassidy left Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask, the five ring-winners from 2011, alone to do what they did best: chase championships.
It could very well be that in 2022-23, Marchand will be the only one left in uniform — belatedly, at that, following surgery on both hips. As for the coach who gave Marchand and the core group free reign, he is gone, soon to be snatched up by any rival seeking instant improvement.
Cassidy’s dismissal and the diminishing roster he once oversaw leave the Bruins in no position to make another Stanley Cup run in 2022-23. The two go hand in hand.
The Bruins’ championship window has closed. Two scenarios in a possible nightmare offseason have already come true.
“They’re going to fall off a cliff soon,” one NHL executive said prior to Cassidy’s firing.
Cassidy’s list of strengths is long. The Bruins made the playoffs in all six seasons he served as head coach since replacing Claude Julien on Feb. 7, 2017. Cassidy came one win short of the Cup in 2019.
Opponents struggled to score against his airtight defense. Cassidy was proactive about making lineup changes. He initiated Bergeron’s late-career metamorphosis from defensive specialist to offensive catalyst. He expressed a similar degree of greater offense from Marchand.
All of these players, save for Marchand, are gone. Bergeron has not made his exit official. But Cassidy’s firing is yet another reason the captain’s return would be in vain.
The Bruins could start 2022-23 down their first-line combination and a Charlie McAvoy-Matt Grzelcyk pairing that, at times, has served as their No. 1 duo. A coaching change, surgeries to critical contributors and a pending rebuild will not encourage David Pastrnak to sign an extension with one year left on his deal. In fact, the right wing may be general manager Don Sweeney’s best trade piece to trigger a teardown.
This leaves players like Jake DeBrusk, Trent Frederic, Jack Studnicka, Oskar Steen and Jakub Zboril due for more responsibility in 2022-23. All of them have things in common. They are young players who heard Cassidy’s bracing words. DeBrusk, in particular, got to the point where the crumbling player-coach relationship made him eager to leave.
They are also young players whose NHL futures, from permanence to impact, are anything but sure things.
Sweeney, with president Cam Neely’s endorsement, fired Cassidy partly because of the belief that another coach will work better with the next generation of players. That may be so.
Jay Leach, David Quinn, Ryan Mougenel, Nate Leaman and Spencer Carbery have long histories of issuing attaboys to their youngsters. Some of them are already on the roster. Leach identified promise in Frederic, Studnicka, Steen and Zboril. McAvoy is a Bruin partly because of Quinn’s recommendation.
The issue, though, is whether the next core will be rotten.
In previous years, Cassidy was equally firm with Anders Bjork (fifth round, 2014), Peter Cehlarik (third round, 2013), Ryan Donato (second round, 2014), Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson (second round, 2015), Danton Heinen (fourth round, 2014), Zach Senyshyn (first round, 2015), Ryan Spooner (second round, 2010), Urho Vaakanainen (first round, 2017) and Frank Vatrano (undrafted). They are all ex-Bruins. It is a long list of swings and misses.
That none of them has developed into an impactful NHL player reflects more poorly on Sweeney and his staff than on Cassidy. A coach cannot turn blemished prospects into polished NHLers.
It will be up to Leach, Quinn or whoever fills Cassidy’s role to determine whether Frederic, Studnicka and the rest of the up-and-coming cohort are legitimate or misshapen NHL players.
As for the wave after that, it is both far away and low on volume. Fabian Lysell, the 2021 first-rounder, has yet to play an NHL game. Mason Lohrei, selected second in 2020, is still a collegian. There are no other possible impact players on the horizon.
It is the price Sweeney must pay for ceding three first-rounders in five years. Only Hampus Lindholm is left to show for such precious capital. Not only will the Bruins be idle in the 2022 first round, they will also have nothing to do in Round 2 in 2023 and 2024 — all fallout from the Lindholm trade. As a reminder, Sweeney did nothing with the cap space he cleared from Anaheim’s retention of half of Lindholm’s salary and the acceptance of John Moore’s contract.
McAvoy is a foundational player. Jeremy Swayman could become a second. Taylor Hall (30) and Hampus Lindholm (28) could help bridge the Bruins to what is to come.
But that will not be for a long time. Immediate help is not coming. Neither are Cups.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:00:43 GMT -5
'Players being afraid to make mistakes': Management believed Bruce Cassidy's demanding approach with young players demanded his dismissal.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:03:01 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:06:22 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:14:37 GMT -5
The Bruins are not interested in the old guard — Mike Babcock, Peter DeBoer, Paul Maurice, John Tortorella, as examples — replacing Bruce Cassidy. As hard as they worked, it’s unlikely that assistants Joe Sacco, Kevin Dean or Chris Kelly will be front-line candidates.
The Bruins want a new presence and a fresh thinker to take over the bench.
President Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney identified two areas of deficiency under Cassidy’s watch: optimal player performance, especially that of younger ones, and five-on-five offensive production.
To management, the former was more troubling than the latter.
The 57-year-old Cassidy had high demands of young players. He believed in fair but firm guidance until NHL principles became second nature for youngsters. This troubled Jake DeBrusk to the degree that the 2015 first-rounder made his desire to leave quite clear. There may have been others who were not as public with their requests.
Neely and Sweeney, then, will hire a coach who will be more aligned with their preferences for greater freedom to play and supportive development. Here are five that fit the profile, starting with the odds-on favorite.
Jay Leach Leach, 42, is the leading candidate. He checks all the boxes.
Leach was Providence’s head coach for four seasons before serving as Dave Hakstol’s assistant in Seattle in 2021-22. In Providence, Leach preached growth mindset, development and positivity. Leach helped Anton Blidh, Connor Clifton, Trent Frederic, Karson Kuhlman, Jeremy Lauzon, Jeremy Swayman and Jakub Zboril become permanent NHL players. He had Kuhlman and Lauzon in Seattle this past season.
Leach served as the right-hand man to former Bruins assistant coach Geoff Ward for Germany’s Adler Mannheim in 2014-15. Ward and Leach helped the team win the DEL championship.
Leach returned to North America to be Mike Sullivan’s assistant in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2015-16. The following season, the Bruins hired Leach to be Kevin Dean’s assistant in Providence.
Management is familiar with Leach. Perhaps the former defenseman, who appeared in two games for the Bruins in 2006-07, can help Frederic, Jack Studnicka and Oskar Steen gain greater NHL footholds.
“He is going to be a great coach,” said one NHL source who has known Leach for decades.
David Quinn Quinn, 55, is hungry for another NHL opportunity after being dismissed by the Rangers. Quinn coached Team USA in the 2022 Olympics after the NHL pulled out of the Winter Games.
The Rangers did not qualify for the playoffs in two of Quinn’s three seasons. Before that, Quinn was at Boston University for five seasons as Jack Parker’s replacement. He coached Matt Grzelcyk for three seasons and Charlie McAvoy for two. Both Bruins defensemen enjoyed their time playing for Quinn.
Quinn is an outgoing and personable coach. He is acquaintances with Sweeney.
Ryan Mougenel Mougenel, 46, concluded his first season as Leach’s replacement in Providence. Before that, Mougenel was Leach’s assistant for two seasons. He was in charge of Providence’s defense when assisting Leach.
Mougenel is similar to Leach: positive and enthusiastic. Players, including veterans like John Moore, were appreciative of Mougenel’s hands-on style. This past season, Moore noted he reviewed clips of himself with Mougenel from past years. The two went over what made Moore an effective NHL defenseman.
Mougenel is short on experience compared to Leach.
Nate Leaman Leaman, 49, finished his 11th season as Providence College’s head coach. He does not have professional coaching experience. But Leaman is one of the NCAA’s most accomplished coaches.
In 2014-15, Leaman led the Friars to the NCAA championship. Providence beat Quinn’s BU team in the final. Noel Acciari, Leaman’s captain that season, signed with the Bruins.
Before Providence, Leaman was the head coach at Union for eight seasons. He was an assistant at Harvard, Sweeney’s alma mater, for four seasons.
Leaman participated in one of the Bruins’ offseason development camps as a consulting coach.
Spencer Carbery Carbery, 40, finished his first season as an assistant to Sheldon Keefe in Toronto. In 2017-18, Carbery served as Leach’s assistant in Providence. After one year, he was hired to be Hershey’s head coach. He was with the Bears for three seasons.
Carbery worked with the defensemen in Providence. In Toronto, Carbery was in charge of the power play.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:18:12 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:19:24 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Jun 7, 2022 7:29:51 GMT -5
I am thinking Jay Leach is the next coach. I’m thinking or at least hoping this is a last coaching change for Neely/Sweeney. They should take the bullet next. They just fired Butch after a 107 point season, is there anyone here that thinks we’ll be even close to matching that next season? Tough act to follow with a green coach and a very potentially weak roster come October. Also would a good veteran coach even come here right now.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:35:27 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:35:39 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:36:00 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:36:29 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:36:53 GMT -5
Gee...ya think??
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Post by orym on Jun 7, 2022 7:36:54 GMT -5
I am thinking Jay Leach is the next coach. I’m thinking or at least hoping this is a last coaching change for Neely/Sweeney. They should take the bullet next. They just fired Butch after a 107 point season, is there anyone here that thinks we’ll be even close to matching that next season? Tough act to follow with a green coach and a very potentially weak roster come October. Also would a good veteran coach even come here right now. I think it is the start of the rebuild. Bergeron isn't coming back is my thought. So you fire Butch and bring in a coach that can work with the next core group of guys. Maybe that core includes Connor Bedard or a high pick next year. I think this is the admission by top management that the championship window is closed. The fact they aren't going after any of the great coaches with pedigree tells the whole story.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:37:41 GMT -5
But earlier he said the need a new voice....well which is it?
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:39:16 GMT -5
Stupid, just stupid.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:39:42 GMT -5
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:39:58 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Jun 7, 2022 7:42:23 GMT -5
Please don’t allow dumb and dumber to get their DNA on any part of a rebuild. 🙏
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 7:43:48 GMT -5
So....does DeBrusk rescind his trade request now?
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Post by kjc2 on Jun 7, 2022 7:49:57 GMT -5
So....does DeBrusk rescind his trade request now? I hope not, I think he should be moved now while his value is reasonably high or at least high as it’s going to get. If Butch was too hard on Debrusk it’s because he’s a lazy fuck and needed to be constantly kicked in the ass.
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Post by madmarx on Jun 7, 2022 8:33:23 GMT -5
So they let Butch fire Dean then fired Butch, that is very wrong on so many levels .
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Post by madmarx on Jun 7, 2022 8:40:10 GMT -5
What idiotic question and an even dumber response.
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Post by KSJ08 on Jun 7, 2022 9:30:47 GMT -5
"Cassidy was proactive about making lineup changes." Bull $h1T!! look how many times he rolled out that slug Kulhman, Foligno, Grz too!! Putting Pasta "Cough-up SH breakaways" on the PP point after, HOW many games!?!?!?!?! I liked Butch but questioned many of his decisions too.
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Post by crafar01 on Jun 7, 2022 10:25:09 GMT -5
I'm fairly certain that we're headed for a protracted stretch of mediocrity to bottom feeding. The prospect cupboards are almost bare with the exception of a couple of kids, we're up against the salary cap with a bunch of 3rd and 4th line players under contract for at least a few years...with a GM who has both a spotty trade and drafting record. Things are starting to feel a lot like they did prior to the Chiarelli/Clode years.
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Post by SeaBass on Jun 7, 2022 10:48:06 GMT -5
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Post by kjc2 on Jun 7, 2022 11:08:32 GMT -5
I’m a Bruce Cassidy fan but what if the exit interviews dictated this move. I don’t believe this to be the case but if Bergeron stays, if Debrusk rescinds his trade request and if Krejci wants to come back then maybe there’s something to it. I’d have to see it to believe it but who knows.
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