News Article: Bruins Front Office Confidence Rank

[LouJersey]

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.

Sweeney/Neely could turn into Charlie’s Harry Sinden

 

[BigGoalBrad]

Front office deserves to be marked down a full letter grade for no second cup since 2011. Doesn’t make them bumbling fools. Just reduces the A to a B.

 

[LouJersey]

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.

Yeah I mean he paid 45 Mil in salaries on 03-04. The payroll hasn’t even doubled in 20 years but look at what they bring in and the value of the team. Jacobs is cheap. Like most every other superb team owner. He was brilliant getting a cap so long ago

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Yeah I mean he paid 45 Mil in salaries on 03-04. The payroll hasn’t even doubled in 20 years but look at what they bring in and the value of the team. Jacobs is cheap. Like most every other superb team owner. He was brilliant getting a cap so long ago

The cheap argument is so old. The cap is in place for every team. Now if you want to argue how they spend it then you can make valid points.

 

[Bruins4Lifer]

The fanbase rating a D for drafting and development is ridiculous. Still haven't gotten over the 2015 1st round I guess.

With all the 1st and 2nd round picks traded away the last decade they've done very well. Deserve a B grade at minimum.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

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)

The list:

1. Florida
2. Dallas
3. Tampa Bay
4. Utah
5. Vancouver
6. Montreal
7. New Jersey
8. Carolina
9. Colorado
10. Nashville
11. Vegas
12. Chicago
13. San Jose
14. Boston
15. Washington
16. Anaheim
17. New York Rangers
18. Calgary
19. Winnipeg
20. Philadelphia
21. Detroit
22. Ottawa
23. St Louis
24. Minnesota
25. Edmonton
26. Buffalo
27. Seattle
28. Columbus
29. Pittsburgh
30. Toronto
31. Los Angeles
32. New York Islanders

Put Utah aside as an outlier in unusual circumstances, weird to see the Habs rated so high, arguably Chicago too. Other end of the spectrum, fans in Edmonton and LA are really harsh, although there may be a Bowman effect with the Oilers. Whereas good ol' Toronto, well if I were a Leafs fan I'd be fed up too. Back end of the top 10 feels about right for the Bruins to me, 14 is too low.

 

[LouJersey]

The cheap argument is so old. The cap is in place for every team. Now if you want to argue how they spend it then you can make valid points.

It’s not old. The cap is in place because we had the one super successful owner who wanted one so he could stop being shown up and he spearheaded it. Don’t show me how someone spends when there is a limit, show me how someone spends when they are allowed to spend how they want

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

It’s not old. The cap is in place because we had the one super successful owner who wanted one so he could stop being shown up and he spearheaded it. Don’t show me how someone spends when there is a limit, show me how someone spends when they are allowed to spend how they want

I will stick with the present and not what was twenty years ago thank you.

 

[LouJersey]

I will stick with the present and not what was twenty years ago thank you.

Do you.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Do you.

When it comes to the cheap argument? Yes.

 

[DominicT]

It’s not old. The cap is in place because we had the one super successful owner who wanted one so he could stop being shown up and he spearheaded it. Don’t show me how someone spends when there is a limit, show me how someone spends when they are allowed to spend how they want

JJ spearheaded the cap?

Explain this to me Lou?

If JJ spearheaded it, and was "the guy" to bring it in, why did the Bruins get caught with their pants down by not filling out a roster before the lockout because he thought things would be different coming out of the lockout?

This idea that he wanted it and spearheaded it is way off. It was Bettman that spearheaded it.

 

[BradPark22]

It’s not old. The cap is in place because we had the one super successful owner who wanted one so he could stop being shown up and he spearheaded it. Don’t show me how someone spends when there is a limit, show me how someone spends when they are allowed to spend how they want

Wrong.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

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

You change management when they do a lousy job. Create a bad product. Cost the owners money. You seem to think management must be changed every year they don't win the Cup.

I didn't say the coaches cost them Cups. Other posters here did. Quite a few blamed Monty for playing Ullmark until the 7th game as well as bringing Bergy & Krejci back before they were 100% in 2023. Also still hear about Cassidy not playing Backes instead of Kuhlman in Game 7 in 2019.

I've always been one to blame the players. They play the games. But injuries and yes, pure luck, also play into the playoffs.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

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 capAllowed 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

You are if you think the other owners thought Jacobs was a fool for being a contender every year while spending $25 mil less than they did. In 4 years' time he would have made $100 mil more than the Rangers and the Leafs and have just as many Cups.

Also not sure what the Knights have to do with any of this. They came into the league way after the Cap was instated.

JJ spearheaded the cap?

Explain this to me Lou?

If JJ spearheaded it, and was "the guy" to bring it in, why did the Bruins get caught with their pants down by not filling out a roster before the lockout because he thought things would be different coming out of the lockout?

This idea that he wanted it and spearheaded it is way off. It was Bettman that spearheaded it.

Bruins got caught with their pants down because no one expected the players to give up 25% of their salaries.
.

 

[Smitty93]

I think tenure is likely underappreciated when it comes to these rankings, which is to say there can often more confidence with less tenure. Think about prospects. When they're drafted, there's a large range of outcomes, both positive and negative. As their development progresses, that range usually shrinks.

I'll use the old Family Guy joke: A boat's a boat, but a mystery box could be anything, it could even be a boat. We're approaching year 10 of Sweeney. He's the 4th longest tenured GM in the league. He kind of is what he is. I don't expect him to change at this point. Year-over-year confidence may change, but there's an expected outcome. With that, it's perfectly reasonable that confidence level is middle of the pack.

 

[Tbaybruin]

I’m not happy with one cup in 50 years, not at all. I am hoppy that I pay 220 bucks a year for centre Ice and my team wins way more games than they lose. I so enjoy the 82 games and it helps me get by a tough winter at times. I look forward to Bruin games. Still want a cup in 2025.

 

[BiteThisBurrows]

The list:

1. Florida
2. Dallas
3. Tampa Bay
4. Utah
5. Vancouver
6. Montreal
7. New Jersey
8. Carolina
9. Colorado
10. Nashville
11. Vegas
12. Chicago
13. San Jose
14. Boston
15. Washington
16. Anaheim
17. New York Rangers
18. Calgary
19. Winnipeg
20. Philadelphia
21. Detroit
22. Ottawa
23. St Louis
24. Minnesota
25. Edmonton
26. Buffalo
27. Seattle
28. Columbus
29. Pittsburgh
30. Toronto
31. Los Angeles
32. New York Islanders

Put Utah aside as an outlier in unusual circumstances, weird to see the Habs rated so high, arguably Chicago too. Other end of the spectrum, fans in Edmonton and LA are really harsh, although there may be a Bowman effect with the Oilers. Whereas good ol' Toronto, well if I were a Leafs fan I'd be fed up too. Back end of the top 10 feels about right for the Bruins to me, 14 is too low.

I'm surprised L.A. is so low and I would have thought Seattle fans would be happier even with the drop off after playoffs in their second year.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

I'm surprised L.A. is so low and I would have thought Seattle fans would be happier even with the drop off after playoffs in their second year.

I wonder if with Seattle the fan expectations have been inflated by the Vegas effect and by their 2nd season. What the Knights have done was never realistic for the Kraken, but not everyone may realize that, and then even some who did may have been carried away by their 2023 run which was a definite over-achievement and again was highly unlikely to be repeated with their roster. Them falling back to the middle with a lot of uncertainty about just which way they go from here would be disappointing, if not that surprising.

Overall though I'd say the franchise has had a solid start and looks well-established in Seattle.

 

[UncleRico]

Sweeney/Neely could turn into Charlie’s Harry Sinden

Good lord please, no.

With that said, Sweeney is very close to becoming the 2nd longest tenured Bruins GM to not win a cup.

 

[chizzler]

The list:

1. Florida
2. Dallas
3. Tampa Bay
4. Utah
5. Vancouver
6. Montreal
7. New Jersey
8. Carolina
9. Colorado
10. Nashville
11. Vegas
12. Chicago
13. San Jose
14. Boston
15. Washington
16. Anaheim
17. New York Rangers
18. Calgary
19. Winnipeg
20. Philadelphia
21. Detroit
22. Ottawa
23. St Louis
24. Minnesota
25. Edmonton
26. Buffalo
27. Seattle
28. Columbus
29. Pittsburgh
30. Toronto
31. Los Angeles
32. New York Islanders

Put Utah aside as an outlier in unusual circumstances, weird to see the Habs rated so high, arguably Chicago too. Other end of the spectrum, fans in Edmonton and LA are really harsh, although there may be a Bowman effect with the Oilers. Whereas good ol' Toronto, well if I were a Leafs fan I'd be fed up too. Back end of the top 10 feels about right for the Bruins to me, 14 is too low.

I call B.S. No way Montreal fans are in 6th, having done nothing since ‘93.

 

[LouJersey]

JJ spearheaded the cap?

Explain this to me Lou?

If JJ spearheaded it, and was "the guy" to bring it in, why did the Bruins get caught with their pants down by not filling out a roster before the lockout because he thought things would be different coming out of the lockout?

This idea that he wanted it and spearheaded it is way off. It was Bettman that spearheaded it.

He wasn’t spending until he knew what it was. He wanted it and pushed hardest for it

 

[LouJersey]

You are if you think the other owners thought Jacobs was a fool for being a contender every year while spending $25 mil less than they did. In 4 years' time he would have made $100 mil more than the Rangers and the Leafs and have just as many Cups.

Also not sure what the Knights have to do with any of this. They came into the league way after the Cap was instated.

Bruins got caught with their pants down because no one expected the players to give up 25% of their salaries.
.

It was common knowledge he was the leader owners wise for the cap. Like you said he waited to see what he was dealing with numbers wise.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

I call B.S. No way Montreal fans are in 6th, having done nothing since ‘93.

Like all surveys, the nature and quality of the answers depends on who you ask. In this case, the respondents who identified as Habs fans gave their front office an A or A- on everything except free agency, which got a B- average, and their overall grade was A-.

For sure, this sounds unusually generous, but remember the grading is of the current management only, not what has gone before. Gorton has only been with Montreal since 2021, Hughes since 2022. Which means you're judging them purely on the rebuild. And Habs fans, or some of them at least, clearly think it's going very well so far. Are they right to be so optimistic? I have my doubts, but at the same time I don't profess to know enough about the finer points of their roster and prospects to have a firm opinion on it. As with so many things, time will tell.

 

[goldenblack]

It's in the 6-8 range for me.

I'm trying to think of dominant NHL teams in the cap era that performed the full roster change over from aging out, without a rebuild.

Cap came in 2005?

Most wins

Bruins
Pens
Caps
Rangers
Preds
Bolts
Stars
Wild
Blues

Most Cups

Hawks 3
Tampa 2
Pens 2
Kings 2
Bunch of us at 1

Appearances

Pens 4
Tampa 3
Hawks 3
Bruins 3
bunch of teams at 2


I dunno, the Kings didn't qualify for the playoffs in long stretches in there. Pens are eating their rebuild. Rangers had 4 seasons where they missed the playoffs for 3 of them recently, that was their rebuild.

I think you can make strong cases for Florida, Tampa, Colorado, Dallas (a bunch of low tax high temp places in there), and then for me we're right there somewhere in the mix of the next tier.

 

[MarchysNoseKnows]

Like all surveys, the nature and quality of the answers depends on who you ask. In this case, the respondents who identified as Habs fans gave their front office an A or A- on everything except free agency, which got a B- average, and their overall grade was A-.

For sure, this sounds unusually generous, but remember the grading is of the current management only, not what has gone before. Gorton has only been with Montreal since 2021, Hughes since 2022. Which means you're judging them purely on the rebuild. And Habs fans, or some of them at least, clearly think it's going very well so far. Are they right to be so optimistic? I have my doubts, but at the same time I don't profess to know enough about the finer points of their roster and prospects to have a firm opinion on it. As with so many things, time will tell.

It’s “supposed” to be the current management. But that’s not how fans answer - look at the Lightning. Their fans gave them an ‘A’ for drafting and developing, second highest score in the league. But what drafting/developing have they done under Brisebois? That’s an Yzerman grade.

Our fans rate us lower in Vision than the Anaheim Ducks, who have had 26 picks in the first 3 rounds over the past 6 years (!!!) and are still awful. Moral of the story is Bruins fans are not good at rating their front office relative to the league.