News Article: Bruins Front Office Confidence Rank

[DKH]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5672796/2024/08/06/nhl-front-office-confidence-rankings-2024/?source=user_shared_article

14th

Wow - not bad

I would have thought 25-32 bottom 25%

Congratulations Bruins fans

“It’s unfortunate that his front office gets no love. They have built a contender year after year that is highly competitive, they lock up their core free agents for market value or less and players want to play in Boston.”

“Early in Sweeney’s tenure, drafting was poor. That seems to have shifted in recent years and he should be recognized for that. The Bruins are drafting and developing pros who are helping them win right now.”

Folks, it’s time to put the 2015 draft to bed. Yes, the memes were legendary and the haul ended up being as underwhelming as it looked on Day 1 relative to what else was out there. But that was nine years ago and they still nabbed two impact players (Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo). By overall value, they did fine!

That draft is also sandwiched between two incredible drafts where Boston got David Pastrnak at No. 25 in 2014 and Charlie McAvoy at No. 14 in 2016. Add Jeremy Swayman at No. 111 in 2017 and that’s three franchise players over four years without a top-10 pick. That’s a haul almost no other team can boast and it’s what has kept the Bruins so competitive for so long. Boston is not a bad drafting team, far from it, and it’s time the Bruins get some credit for that.

The team does well otherwise and it’s nice to see the team’s own fan base finally recognize that. Boston’s own fans are often much harsher on the Bruins compared to the public, but things end up a lot closer this year

Click to read more...

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

So funny. Ranked below Utah, Chicago, Montreal and freaking San Jose. Bruins fans smh my head.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5672796/2024/08/06/nhl-front-office-confidence-rankings-2024/?source=user_shared_article

14th

Wow - not bad

I would have thought 25-32 bottom 25%

Congratulations Bruins fans

View attachment 899471
“It’s unfortunate that his front office gets no love. They have built a contender year after year that is highly competitive, they lock up their core free agents for market value or less and players want to play in Boston.”

“Early in Sweeney’s tenure, drafting was poor. That seems to have shifted in recent years and he should be recognized for that. The Bruins are drafting and developing pros who are helping them win right now.”

Folks, it’s time to put the 2015 draft to bed. Yes, the memes were legendary and the haul ended up being as underwhelming as it looked on Day 1 relative to what else was out there. But that was nine years ago and they still nabbed two impact players (Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo). By overall value, they did fine!

That draft is also sandwiched between two incredible drafts where Boston got David Pastrnak at No. 25 in 2014 and Charlie McAvoy at No. 14 in 2016. Add Jeremy Swayman at No. 111 in 2017 and that’s three franchise players over four years without a top-10 pick. That’s a haul almost no other team can boast and it’s what has kept the Bruins so competitive for so long. Boston is not a bad drafting team, far from it, and it’s time the Bruins get some credit for that.

The team does well otherwise and it’s nice to see the team’s own fan base finally recognize that. Boston’s own fans are often much harsher on the Bruins compared to the public, but things end up a lot closer this year

Lots of fans just don't want to change their narrative.

Jacobs is still cheap, Sweeney is still incompetent and Neely is still in over his head.

And despite that view, they also have a coach that cost them a Cup. Just like the previous coach.

 

[RoccoF14]

Lots of fans just don't want to change their narrative.

Jacobs is still cheap, Sweeney is still incompetent and Neely is still in over his head.

And despite that view, they also have a coach that cost them a Cup. Just like the previous coach.

Not surprising at all. Shitting on the front office/ownership is the National Pastime of NE sports fans.

Celtics fans were calling for Joe Mazzulla's head, just a year ago....

 

[sarge88]

Should be higher, to varying degrees in all areas, IMO.

especially cap management.

 

[Fenian24]

Cap management should be higher, draft and develop is accurate.

 

[LouJersey]

Draft and develop will be higher after this season when Poitras and Lohrei take the next steps

Everything else looks fine w the fan base part of grading

As for the other teams doesn’t matter to me

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Cap management should be higher, draft and develop is accurate.

No, it isn't.

 

[DKH]

14 though is pretty good for Boston fans

I would have bet near the bottom

Remember it’s confidence in the front office and who has confidence that’s a Bruins fan

Remarkable grade

 

[Absurdity]

Bruins should be top 10

 

[DKH]

So funny. Ranked below Utah, Chicago, Montreal and freaking San Jose. Bruins fans smh my head.

But we haven’t won a Cup since 2011

The 3-4 Prez Trophy, finals, and best all time record just make it worse

Chicago has won 3 Cups since then and drafted Bedard & Oliver Moore, and brought in good leaders like Foligno & Hall; Montreal has Jeff Gorton one of the best GM in hockey - who built the Rangers

Utah fans are optimistic & SJ drafted Celebrini & Dickinson

None have screwed up

How can anyone have confidence in Sweeney & Neely. I’m assuming the trade grade was in the books before the korpisalo catastrophe.

 

[LouJersey]

Lots of fans just don't want to change their narrative.

Jacobs is still cheap, Sweeney is still incompetent and Neely is still in over his head.

And despite that view, they also have a coach that cost them a Cup. Just like the previous coach.

Lots of fans might just want a cup win from this current president/GM group.

Is the coach thing in jest? Not familiar when there is sarcasm without emojis

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

Lots of fans might just want a cup win from this current president/GM group.

Is the coach thing in jest? Not familiar when there is sarcasm without emojis

No kidding?

Not winning a Cup doesn't mean anyone in management is doing a crummy job. (Not sarcasm)

 

[McGarnagle]

Being right in the middle makes sense, because half the fans love Sweeney and half think he's a complete moron. (For the record I'm in the positive wing)

Averages out

 

[LouJersey]

No kidding?

Not winning a Cup doesn't mean anyone in management is doing a crummy job. (Not sarcasm)

Ok so why ever change them?

The goal is to win the cup. I’ll go by Brad Marchands comments on not winning it all.

Brad Marchand Gets Brutally Honest On Bruins' Historic Chase For New NHL Records

Boston Bruins' forward Brad Marchand has won a Stanley Cup in his career, and chasing another one is more important to him than any records.

clutchpoints.com

Also how did the coaches cost them titles? Is it the players that choked? What about the GM that gave the coach these guys?

Coaches taking the blame for a 3-1 collapse is a new one to me.

Anyways guessing you loved the Harry Sinden era with all those lost cups and coming up short for 30 years. Fun regular seasons though. Enjoyable

 

[UncleRico]

I’d say a little higher in draft and develop. They’ve traded away a lot of picks that have negatively impacted it, but overall they’ve found a few players. Not much in the top 6, but decent.

Cap management should be lower. They consistently overpay on 4th liners and and bottom pairing defenders.

Foligno, John moore, Reilly, forbort, gryz , etc. Overpays like backes and beleksey. As well as using cap for future years to completely a roster.

 

[LouJersey]

Being right in the middle makes sense, because half the fans love Sweeney and half think he's a complete moron. (For the record I'm in the positive wing)

Averages out

Or you can like Sweeney and not hand him deity status for a lost cup and great regular seasons in a decade.

If you get these same results for another ten years you good?

I guess it’s cool if you (not you per se) have a load of titles being a pats/sox/celtics fans.

 

[BiteThisBurrows]

I always find the "jacobs is cheap" part of the narrative odd since there are cap floor teams in this league and the Bruins pretty much always spend to the ceiling and sometimes beyond it. So you can argue money poorly spent in some instances (eg. Backes) but "cheap" seems like a stretch.

Some definitely poor drafting in Sweeney's history. Development seems too harsh as the number of guys we trade away at deadlines we don't really have a very good sample to work with. Most of the guys left are lower picks and projects at best so measuring their development is difficult. If a guy like Lysell eventually busts is that bad drafting or bad development? You can only do so much. Hard to separate these things.

An overall ranking of 14 seems reasonable. I would have probably placed them around 10-12.

(I can't see the article, can someone maybe post the whole list for curiosity? Much appreciated if you can)

 

[LouJersey]

I always find the "jacobs is cheap" part of the narrative odd since there are cap floor teams in this league and the Bruins pretty much always spend to the ceiling and sometimes beyond it. So you can argue money poorly spent in some instances (eg. Backes) but "cheap" seems like a stretch.

Some definitely poor drafting in Sweeney's history. Development seems too harsh as the number of guys we trade away at deadlines we don't really have a very good sample to work with. Most of the guys left are lower picks and projects at best so measuring their development is difficult. If a guy like Lysell eventually busts is that bad drafting or bad development? You can only do so much. Hard to separate these things.

An overall ranking of 14 seems reasonable. I would have probably placed them around 10-12.

(I can't see the article, can someone maybe post the whole list for curiosity? Much appreciated if you can)

Jacobs is cheap. He’s the one who pushed hardest for the cap because he was tired of being shown up by all the owners who spent alot to try to win. Worked for the Red Wings and held the line. Spending to a cap was always in the plans for him. Imagine what the payrolls would be today? Teams would be at over 100 mil and Jacobs would be holding for the line about 20 mil less like he always did.

Spending to the cap was always the illusion he wanted to show “he wasn’t cheap”. Spending to the cap is the least he can do, the Bruins revenue was 230+ million last season

 

[Gee Wally]

He could choose to not spend to cap. To not allow one way contracts.

Now that would be cheap.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Jacobs is cheap. He’s the one who pushed hardest for the cap because he was tired of being shown up by all the owners who spent alot to try to win. Worked for the Red Wings and held the line. Spending to a cap was always in the plans for him. Imagine what the payrolls would be today? Teams would be at over 100 mil and Jacobs would be holding for the line about 20 mil less like he always did.

Spending to the cap was always the illusion he wanted to show “he wasn’t cheap”. Spending to the cap is the least he can do, the Bruins revenue was 230+ million last season

Spending as much as you are allowed as any other team is cheap? That is pretzel twisting.

 

[LouJersey]

He could choose to not spend to cap. To not allow one way contracts.

Now that would be cheap.

He really couldn’t though. Not in this day and age with what the franchise is valued At annd what they bring in per season even with this version of Bruins fans I would think. His goal was to make the rangers, leafs, wings knights et all not make him look like a fool and spend 25 million more a season than him. We saw his true colors when there was no cap

Spending as much as you are allowed as any other team is cheap? That is pretzel twisting.

Allowed by the rules he was paramount in making so he could stop being made a fool of

Am I in the twilight zone? The guy didn’t get his rep for nothing, he always said he would spend to a cap as long as there was a cap. It was saving him money

NHL Team Payrolls, 1994 to 2004 - San Jose Sharks, NY Rangers, All Teams, NHL Team Payrolls

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

Right where he belongs. Average at best.

Glaring weakness offsets his strengths.

Average.

Time will tell if bulking up the Bruins as many of us desired overcomes that lack of foresight regarding offense.

He could choose to not spend to cap. To not allow one way contracts.

Now that would be cheap.

He also could invest in the ice quality and allow for seats that handle even average sized fans. Salary cap is merely checking a box at this point in the NHL (especially original six).

 

[Aussie Bruin]

Ok so why ever change them?

The goal is to win the cup. I’ll go by Brad Marchands comments on not winning it all.

Brad Marchand Gets Brutally Honest On Bruins' Historic Chase For New NHL Records

Boston Bruins' forward Brad Marchand has won a Stanley Cup in his career, and chasing another one is more important to him than any records.

clutchpoints.com

Also how did the coaches cost them titles? Is it the players that choked? What about the GM that gave the coach these guys?

Coaches taking the blame for a 3-1 collapse is a new one to me.

Anyways guessing you loved the Harry Sinden era with all those lost cups and coming up short for 30 years. Fun regular seasons though. Enjoyable

Fun regular seasons are what the Bruins do best. Been that way practically forever. Playoffs are a different beast.

Really with exercises like this it depends what your expectations are. If you expect Cups and no less you're going to grade harsher when they don't materialize as opposed to someone who is looking more for consistent high performance, which the Bruins have undeniably had in spades.

I don't want to get into the nitty gritty of the grades (although the D for draft and develop and the overall C+ are absurdly harsh), rather I'd make the observation that if you asked me whether I thought Boston's front office overall did a good job I'd say an easy 'yes', but if the question was 'do I think the current management will win a Cup', my answer is 'unlikely'. In simple terms, for all our management's competence, you need a little bit of magic and/or some sheer luck to jag a Cup, and the current crew just don't seem to have either.

I also think you have to separate management from ownership, and acknowledge that the hands of the former are partially tied by the latter. This is old ground but the Jacobs have made it very clear that they expect the Bruins to compete just about every year because it ensures the ongoing profitability of the franchise. Any sort of serious rebuild is off the table, the amount of risk the front office can take on has a ceiling. There is a certain way the team needs to be run, and really it's changed little in 40 years.

In that sense to be fair to management you have to evaluate them in light of those limitations. And once you factor that in I think that, for me at least, whatever gripes I have about our front office, and there are a few, it's the owners that I have more of a problem with while fully conceding that, barring some cataclysmic event, they aren't going to change.

 

[BigGoalBrad]

He really couldn’t though. Not in this day and age with what the franchise is valued At annd what they bring in per season even with this version of Bruins fans I would think. His goal was to make the rangers, leafs, wings knights et all not make him look like a fool and spend 25 million more a season than him. We saw his true colors when there was no cap


Allowed by the rules he was paramount in making so he could stop being made a fool of

Am I in the twilight zone? The guy didn’t get his rep for nothing, he always said he would spend to a cap as long as there was a cap. It was saving him money

NHL Team Payrolls, 1994 to 2004 - San Jose Sharks, NY Rangers, All Teams, NHL Team Payrolls

We were the Oakland As of the NHL from 1980-2004 because of him. Every single player got squeezed hard. Apart from maybe Marty Lapointe.

25/32 teams maybe more spend to the cap annually Jacobs doesn’t deserve credit for that.