Boston Bruins 24-25 Roster/Cap thread XII

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Im not saying you fire a GM based on average tenure, obviously. But you brought up that coaches are hired to be fired based on an average tenure of 2.5 years. I’d argue 4.5 is hardly a long tenure in any walk of life, so like coaches, GMs are hired to be fired too.

And clearly we can argue all day long about what seasons are considered “bad”, but safe to say I think every GM should be evaluated annually based on the position they’ve put their franchise in. Given the Bruins current situation, seems to me they’re at a crossroads of sorts. Now seems like the perfect time to either double down on Don Sweeney or go a different direction. Clearly we disagree on the path…that’s fine.
Bottom line is he inherited a team with possibly 5 HOF players and proceeded to blow 3 consecutive drafts that not only blocked at least 1 Cup, but has also closed the window on Cup contention. How anyone can argue otherwise with a straight face is beyond me.
 
Last two games makes moves going forward an interesting dilemma. Swayman definitely stole a couple of games for the team. But also there was increased importance of each game, a matter of pride, and adrenaline motivating many of the players. One thing we do know is that this team does need some sort of offensive improvement, 1) on the power play, and 2) help with five on five scoring. They have to score more than 1 or 2 goals a game. Which if they do will help the defense and the goal differential. But will that help come via a trade or internally is the question?

As a whole the entire team for much of the season hasn't really been fully engaged in the games they have played. Part of that could be contributed to Montgomery having checked out with his bags packed and visions of anywhere else (St. Louis) in his head at the end of the season due to not having a contract extension. Another part could be subconsciously many of the players have lost the urgency of the regular season after the last couple of years and the need to finish first, as all that matters is to qualify for the playoffs.

It may be wishful thinking but part of me believes we will see a different team commitment after the Four Nations Tourney. This team when engaged can play with just about anyone in this league. Making the playoffs will be their goal, as opposed to finishing first like the past couple of seasons, and then maybe surprising a few teams and fans once there. As the games come to have more actual meaning I believe (hoping) the players individually and cohesively as a team will raise the level of their engagement and production leading to better outcomes.

March is going to be brutal with 10 of 14 games on the road. Either they thrive or dive. The trade deadline is March 7th upper management will have to decide by then their course of action. I'm hoping positive team play and outcome answers a lot of their concerns internally. Either way, they need to improve the present with their eye on improving the future ... no more sacrificing the future for a momentary band-aid.
 
So they should have fired him right after he built a team that went to G7 of the Cup Finals? Should they have fired him 3 years later when he iced the most successful team in NHL history?

I mentioned the coaches tenure because folks say he's on his 3rd coach like that's some outrageous stat. It's not. Just like it's not outrageous for the winningest GM in the last 10 years to still have a job or to survive one bad season.

I hope you don't think I believe it's outrageous that he's on his third coach. It's just a factor that goes into the discussion. If Sweeney was getting what he wanted out of his teams, there wouldn't be the changes and at some point it's on him for building the team. I don't necessarily think he should be fired or will be, but I think if the team does not qualify, he should be on the hot seat, and maybe a change could be looked at. That's the firing line to me, not 'sack his ass forthwith' :laugh:

At the end of the day, I come back not to regular season performance, where the Bruins have excelled for the most part under Sweeney's tenure, but the lack of solid playoff success outside of 2019 (and that *should* have been a Cup). Out after the first or second round every year they've made it when they've had one of the winningest teams in the league in the same span is not great and might be worth looking at going in another direction.
 
Bet me $100. I’ll take he doesn’t get fired with DNQ. You can take yes. I got Venmo, you got it you can transfer me easily.
Bruins miss playoffs you can bet his seat gets super warm though.His days of firing coaches should be over.
His draft record is actually good. He beats the average despite having the worst average draft position. He picked up franchise cornerstones like Swayman and McAvoy despite not having any top10 picks. That's really rare.


You can trade it with a protection clause.


You need to proofread your posts.
Thre were a few D men on board when he picked McAvoy that was not rocket science .Alot say he should have taken Chychrun who is way better on offense.Credit on Swayman though at 111 th in draft & Frederic but not much else.. Anyways,he oversaw arguably the worst NHL draft in history in 2015 by a mile.Other drafts he took the likes of Axel Anderson with the 57th pick another beauty...Cole Spicer ,Curtis Hall ,traded Lauko who he took 77th overall.Studnicka 53rd overall, Vaak 18th overall was meh..Lots more too.
 
Thre were a few D men on board when he picked McAvoy that was not rocket science .Alot say he should have taken Chychrun who is way better on offense.Credit on Swayman though at 111 th in draft & Frederic but not much else.. Anyways,he oversaw arguably the worst NHL draft in history in 2015 by a mile.Other drafts he took the likes of Axel Anderson with the 57th pick another beauty...Cole Spicer ,Curtis Hall ,traded Lauko who he took 77th overall.Studnicka 53rd overall, Vaak 18th overall was meh..Lots more too.

Now do the other the GMs in the league.
 
Now do the other the GMs in the league.
Take me all day.You guys want to defend Donny that's fine by me but personally I am just not a big fan of his decisions .The Bruins have been at the top of the standings a few times under him ( inherited core)so you guys have the ammo but end of the day he has built 0 Cup winners so I get Last laugh 😉.
 
Take me all day.You guys want to defend Donny that's fine by me but personally I am just not a big fan of his decisions .The Bruins have been at the top of the standings a few times under him ( inherited core)so you guys have the ammo but end of the day he has built 0 Cup winners so I get Last laugh 😉.
Slow the roll a tad :laugh: I have never been a "Donny defender" but let's at least stick to shit that he's actually done worse than other GMs around the league. (and there is some ammo there).
 
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Take me all day.You guys want to defend Donny that's fine by me but personally I am just not a big fan of his decisions .The Bruins have been at the top of the standings a few times under him ( inherited core)so you guys have the ammo but end of the day he has built 0 Cup winners so I get Last laugh 😉.
I've been fine with most of Sweeney's decisions, until this past summer. I think he blew it this past off season, and I'm not saying that after the fact, either.

Ain't his fault the team completely shit the bed in the post season, 2 years ago. Same goes for 2019. He did everything he had to do to give us a chance to win that Cup.
 
Slow the roll a tad :laugh: I have never been a "Donny defender" but let's at least stick to shit that he's actually done worse than other GMs around the league. (and there is some ammo there).
haha just having some fun.I want the Bruins to win a Cup to no matter who isGM

I've been fine with most of Sweeney's decisions, until this past summer. I think he blew it this past off season, and I'm not saying that after the fact, either.

Ain't his fault the team completely shit the bed in the post season, 2 years ago. Same goes for 2019. He did everything he had to do to give us a chance to win that Cup.
No I am fully on board with him going all in 2 years ago.Monty played a big part in that moving D steady .My issue is he has never built a core at any level so I don't trust him.
 
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Bruins miss playoffs you can bet his seat gets super warm though.His days of firing coaches should be over.

Thre were a few D men on board when he picked McAvoy that was not rocket science .Alot say he should have taken Chychrun who is way better on offense.Credit on Swayman though at 111 th in draft & Frederic but not much else.. Anyways,he oversaw arguably the worst NHL draft in history in 2015 by a mile.Other drafts he took the likes of Axel Anderson with the 57th pick another beauty...Cole Spicer ,Curtis Hall ,traded Lauko who he took 77th overall.Studnicka 53rd overall, Vaak 18th overall was meh..Lots more too.

Clearly you don't know your history.

In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers had 12 picks (one in each round). Not one of those 11 players ever played a single game in the NHL. That's right, 11. Because one of their picks was invalid.

The Bruins drafted 10 players in 2015, 8 of them played at least a game in the NHL. Debrusk, Carlo and Lauzon are still, 10 years later, solid NHLers.
 
I subscribe to the Athletic and I enjoy their Player Cards that they post for every NHL player/team. I'm not a huge analytics guy and don't know the detail of how their model works, but their evaluations of this year's Bruins roster (to date) jives with my eye-test. Worth checking out. These stats are updated as the season progresses so they are real-time...

 
Bottom line is he inherited a team with possibly 5 HOF players and proceeded to blow 3 consecutive drafts that not only blocked at least 1 Cup, but has also closed the window on Cup contention. How anyone can argue otherwise with a straight face is beyond me.
I’m a little torn on that but overall I agree with you. It’s tough to kill a GM for drafting as they obviously rely on their scouts and it’s an imperfect science. That said the GM needs to take ownership.

Folks who defend Sweeney will tell you drafting is a crapshoot and he’s had X guys play X games so he’s drafted ok, but in reality whiffing on those picks in that draft cost this franchise immensely. You could argue it killed them as it then forced them to give up picks to patch holes because they had so little pipeline talent. Is it time for DS to pay the piper on that, along with his other misses? I’d vote yes
 
Clearly you don't know your history.

In 1990, the Edmonton Oilers had 12 picks (one in each round). Not one of those 11 players ever played a single game in the NHL. That's right, 11. Because one of their picks was invalid.

The Bruins drafted 10 players in 2015, 8 of them played at least a game in the NHL. Debrusk, Carlo and Lauzon are still, 10 years later, solid NHLers.
Nothing though, compares to the draft the St. Louis blues had in 1983 or should I say didn’t have.
 

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