Bruins fire Jim Montgomery, name Joe Sacco interim head coach

[SoundAndFury]

For sure. And if it's a results centered league why is the GM given a free pass there? Look at some of the names on the 2015-16 Bruins roster in Sweeney's first season as GM: Bergeron, Krejci, Pastrnak, Vatrano, Marchand, Eriksson, Chara, Krug, Dougie Hamilton, Seidenberg, Rask, and a host of decent support players. That's basically what the GM was gifted, along with the infamous 2015 first round picks he blew.

Compare that with the roster today after around a decade of Sweeney at the helm. It's laughable. Not much accountability for the GM, but the winningest NHL coach since 2022 is the one who gets canned because he can't make slow unskilled players faster and offensive weapons, or make an overpaid goalie save shots.

Because NHL teams are business ventures. You think most owners follow the NHL and have idea who good player or bad player is? Sweeney's goal is to make money for the owner. In that sense he was very successful, icing competitive team that sells out the arena every year and even making the finals one time which is as much money as you can realistically make.

Roster construction and "asset management" is for hockey nerds, not billionaires behind the hockey clubs.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Ullmark visibly injured and unable to move laterally in games 4 through 6 and he leaves him out there to dry, then switches to an ice cold Swayman who hadn't played a game in 2 1/2 weeks for the do or die game 7.

Hall, Coyle, and Debrusk carrying the offense through four games, then reinserting an injured Bergeron and Krejci back into the lineup and reducing the ice time of the aforementioned. Also not being able to make up his mind and shuffling Bertuzzi and Debrusk between lines 1 and 3 the last few games.

Grzelcyk getting blamed for Ullmark's turnover in game 5 then getting scratched for Clifton, who got thoroughly abused by the Panthers in game 6. Taking McAvoy away from Gryz, his regular partner all year long and putting Orlov with him having not played together before. Forbort being put into the lineup after a month off.

It was a series of bad decisions, but the worst was the lack of accountability that he showed in every interview during and after the series. He lost me then and there.

That’s right, now I’m remembering. At the time it seemed like a bunch of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” type decisions where you could make a compelling case for both sides - keeping guys in who were playing well that series, vs disrupting chemistry to go back to the status quo roles established during the season.

I spent all year watching Orlov and Hathaway (two of my favorite players) and got the sense they didn’t always quite fit in with the Bruins. Maybe some responsibility lies with Sweeney for tinkering a bit too much with a proven winner?

 

[McGarnagle]

That’s right, now I’m remembering. At the time it seemed like a bunch of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” type decisions where you could make a compelling case for both sides - keeping guys in who were playing well that series, vs disrupting chemistry to go back to the status quo roles established during the season.

I spent all year watching Orlov and Hathaway (two of my favorite players) and got the sense they didn’t always quite fit in with the Bruins. Maybe some responsibility lies with Sweeney for tinkering a bit too much with a proven winner?

Orlov was great down the stretch. In the playoffs Monty couldn't make up his mind on who to pair him with. Hathaway was a f***ing bust though. Completely neutered his game and did nothing here.

 

[TruePowerSlave]

The GM should be gone instead.

Signing Lindholm + Zadorov to big money deals and the goalie situation was awful business.