News Article: Fluto: Bruins GM Don Sweeney hasn’t ruled out a coaching change

[Mr. Make-Believe]

Even though a very very very respected HF member told me Dougie was viewed by teammates as an entitled trophy kid who called his agent (group representative) or mother every time Claude yelled at him

I hadn't known about the World Class D bag move to trade or sign my brother or else

Anyways Seeeney sucks he's ruining my wintah

I don't think it's unfair to question his record. Sweeney doesn't suck, but he hasn't exactly been perfect either. He didn't trade Hamilton for prospects, it was draft picks. And he hasn't added a single roster player with the impact of those he traded away.

Part of that is cap. But part of it is also a failure to land that big player. I don't believe that the roster has felt "complete" in several years.

I like that he has a draft strategy. I like that he has a vision for the team. I like that he's not Chiarelli in that sense.

He's been good... Not great.

 

[Greek_physique]

I don't think it's unfair to question his record. Sweeney doesn't suck, but he hasn't exactly been perfect either. He didn't trade Hamilton for prospects, it was draft picks. And he hasn't added a single roster player with the impact of those he traded away.

Part of that is cap. But part of it is also a failure to land that big player. I don't believe that the roster has felt "complete" in several years.

I like that he has a draft strategy. I like that he has a vision for the team. I like that he's not Chiarelli in that sense.

He's been good... Not great.

I feel frustrated by the teams struggles the past few years; however we also have to agree that something like this had to happen.

Yes, I hate the fact that K.Miller got re-signed, but the team is in a lot better state today then it was 2 years.....now it is up to Sweeney to add an impact player instead of losing them. Until that happens, people will call him out.

That's why firing Clode is chicken $@#@. Don't use him as an excuse...give him something to actually work with.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

I feel frustrated by the teams struggles the past few years; however we also have to agree that something like this had to happen.

Yes, I hate the fact that K.Miller got re-signed, but the team is in a lot better state today then it was 2 years.....now it is up to Sweeney to add an impact player instead of losing them. Until that happens, people will call him out.

That's why firing Clode is chicken $@#@. Don't use him as an excuse...give him something to actually work with.

I agree. What has Julien failed to do that justifies his firing at this point? He's delivered on his promises... He just needs a little help from upstairs.

 

[ReggieMoto]

I agree. What has Julien failed to do that justifies his firing at this point? He's delivered on his promises... He just needs a little help from upstairs.

My biggest gripe -- pretty much my only gripe -- is he keeps rolling out Hayes. That's it.

 

[Greek_physique]

My biggest gripe -- pretty much my only gripe -- is he keeps rolling out Hayes. That's it.

He doesn't always roll him out...but does he really have another option?

If/When he shortens his bench, he always rolls out the 4th line anyways.

 

[Greek_physique]

I agree. What has Julien failed to do that justifies his firing at this point? He's delivered on his promises... He just needs a little help from upstairs.

Every coach makes mistakes..yet as much as we struggle to score goals, we're still in every game this year.

He's proved in the past; that our Bruins team can be in the top 5 for scoring at the end of the year.

As a team this year...we only have 8 goals from our defense. Nuff said.

 

[LouJersey]

I agree. What has Julien failed to do that justifies his firing at this point? He's delivered on his promises... He just needs a little help from upstairs.

They choked down the stretch two years straight, suck at home again, rarely ever seem ready to play, basically every scorer is having an off year, and they lose to teams they shouldn't more often it seems. Can't fire the players (I wish you could).

 

[BNHL]

They choked down the stretch two years straight, suck at home again, rarely ever seem ready to play, basically every scorer is having an off year, and they lose to teams they shouldn't more often it seems. Can't fire the players (I wish you could).

In 8 out of 10 years they have either not qualified or failed to make it out of the second round. Endless questionable in game personnel decisions and lineups.

 

[DKH]

I don't think it's unfair to question his record. Sweeney doesn't suck, but he hasn't exactly been perfect either. He didn't trade Hamilton for prospects, it was draft picks. And he hasn't added a single roster player with the impact of those he traded away.

Part of that is cap. But part of it is also a failure to land that big player. I don't believe that the roster has felt "complete" in several years.

I like that he has a draft strategy. I like that he has a vision for the team. I like that he's not Chiarelli in that sense.

He's been good... Not great.

I can't wait to read this place in March next year

I give him a B+

He should not have thought Claude could change

 

[Mpasta]

I can't wait to read this place in March next year

I give him a B+

He should not have thought Claude could change

It's hard to know when you're serious because of your shtick in every comment but serious or not, I agree with you on this.

Is Claude the guy everybody wants for the next 5 years when all of the new kids are coming up through the system? If so, then do we just keep Claude until he's too old for the cold rink?

 

[BruinDust]

Every coach makes mistakes..yet as much as we struggle to score goals, we're still in every game this year.

He's proved in the past; that our Bruins team can be in the top 5 for scoring at the end of the year.

As a team this year...we only have 8 goals from our defense. Nuff said.

And the guy responsible for 38% of that production (Colin Miller) got scratched yesterday in favor of not 1, not 2, but 3 D-men who have to score a single goal in an NHL net this season in 84 man-games.

That's on Claude.

 

[bp13]

I can't wait to read this place in March next year

I give him a B+

He should not have thought Claude could change

This wasn't the tune you were singing this summer, or even just weeks ago. Nor is it what Sweeney himself said just last week. Nor is it reflected in the ice time of kids like Carlo and Colin Miller this season.

What he should not have done was sit idly by this summer and do nothing to improve a **** defense but add an 18 year old rookie. And there are plenty of other "should nots" to go with that.

 

[BNHL]

I can't wait to read this place in March next year

I give him a B+

He should not have thought Claude could change

I'd give him an INC. will have to wait for the picks to mature.

 

[bp13]

It's hard to know when you're serious because of your shtick in every comment but serious or not, I agree with you on this.

Is Claude the guy everybody wants for the next 5 years when all of the new kids are coming up through the system? If so, then do we just keep Claude until he's too old for the cold rink?

Look...it's perfectly acceptable to say you don't think Claude is the right guy for a retool. That could easily be correct. But let's not forget the GM who re-signed Kevan Miller AND Adam McQuaid to deals when he took over, when HE was arguing to go younger. He signed those guys. And last offseason, HE re-signed Liles. So he basically gave the coach 3 mediocre vets on NHL deals who were not being paid to sit, to go with Chara and Krug on defense. There's one spot left for a kid. ONE!!!

I could easily argue that the GM is in lockstep with the coach not to instill many kids on that defense, at least not this season. And yet CJ will end up bearing the full blame for that because "Clode hates da kids!!!".

 

[LouJersey]

And the guy responsible for 38% of that production (Colin Miller) got scratched yesterday in favor of not 1, not 2, but 3 D-men who have to score a single goal in an NHL net this season in 84 man-games.

That's on Claude.

When I saw that I literally checked my phone to see what the Bruins got in return for trading Colin Miller since that was the only reasonable explanation.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

They choked down the stretch two years straight, suck at home again, rarely ever seem ready to play, basically every scorer is having an off year, and they lose to teams they shouldn't more often it seems. Can't fire the players (I wish you could).

But how many of those things can you reasonably attribute directly to Julien?

Not that I agree with your entire list... But I mean real specifics

 

[finchster]

Julien is getting the axe this year if we miss the playoffs, or perhaps even before. Management is lining up to throw him under the bus.

 

[LouJersey]

But how many of those things can you reasonably attribute directly to Julien?

Not that I agree with your entire list... But I mean real specifics

Julien is the only thing that can be changed thank to the NTC/NMC. I'm all for roster upheaval but that's impossible in this day and age. Bruins need one of those old school ten player deals that never happen anymore due to the cap.

 

[LouJersey]

Julien is getting the axe this year if we miss the playoffs, or perhaps even before. Management is lining up to throw him under the bus.

In every other sport other than football 99% of the time the coach goes first, then the brass is generally given another year or two.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_NHL_general_managers

some guys there with multiple coaches.

 

[DKH]

I'd give him an INC. will have to wait for the picks to mature.

Smartest post here but...I'm reading be fired while half his first draft class are teenagers

I can't imagine posters here finding out babies take 9 months to be born

I figure by month 3 they've determined their kid will be a failure

 

[GloryDaze4877]

And yet Sweeney chased him like someone refusing to accept that their crush wouldn't go to the prom with him. If only the front office had connections like yours, DKH.

This is a very interesting analogy, but not sure how accurate.

The way I heard it was that the B's were negotiating with Team Dougie and when they didn't get a response to their last offer, they figured something was up, and moved on. The story also goes that Team Dougie torpedoed one deal the B's has in the works because he didn't want to sign there and that the Calgary deal was made under the condition that they not talk to his agents.

Not sure how much of that is true, but I'm not seeing your crush/prom comparison.

 

[BMC]

This wasn't the tune you were singing this summer, or even just weeks ago. Nor is it what Sweeney himself said just last week. Nor is it reflected in the ice time of kids like Carlo and Colin Miller this season.

What he should not have done was sit idly by this summer and do nothing to improve a **** defense but add an 18 year old rookie. And there are plenty of other "should nots" to go with that.

No one is more delighted with Carlo's performance than I am but it could have gone the other way which would make Sweeney's failure to land a top 4 defenseman all the more glaring. Sweeney better be paying for Carlo's dinner every night, the kid's performance took a lot of heat off the GM.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Julien is the only thing that can be changed thank to the NTC/NMC. I'm all for roster upheaval but that's impossible in this day and age. Bruins need one of those old school ten player deals that never happen anymore due to the cap.

the thing is there has been quite a bit of turnover in the last few years anyway. Unless you're comfortable with trading core players there's really not much else they can do in the way of roster turnover that they haven't already done.

Boychuk
Lucic
Dougie
Paille
Campbell
Thornton
Horton
Seguin
Loui
Smith
etc.

all players that have come and gone just in the least 3 years or so, not to mention a host of bottom tier guys coming & going and a bunch of kids gradually being worked into the lineup. The roster going into the first season under Sweeney had a pretty significant shakeup and finished virtually identically to the team from the year before.

Now, some might argue that some core players should be traded, but IMO the Bruins core is one of the best in the league in terms of value with regard to cap hit vs production and it will be really hard to get similar value in return unless you go full rebuild and wait a few years for ELC guys to produce.

So yeah, I think the case can be made that significant changes to the roster have already been made over the last couple years. Your remaining options are:
a. Coaching change
b. trade core players
c. stand pat & wait for the kids to become the new core

I'd be lying if I said I was certain what the best approach is, but it sounds like ownership is probably not ok with the 3rd option if it means missing the playoffs while they wait.

 

[Number8]

I was just talking to a long time B'a fan that is a little older than I am and we share the opinion that Sweeney has the B's on the right track and that one of the big issues with fans these days seems to be patience, or specifically a lack of it. In New England we are in the midst of an unprecedented run of success with our pro franchises, mostly the Pats and Sox, but the B's and Celts have had their moments as well. As a fan of sports, this has been an awesome stretch for me and I constantly tell my 13 yr old to appreciate this winning because it's unheard of.

The downside of this is that I think it has led a large part of the New England fan base, particularly the younger crowd that has only experienced this success, to think that this situation is the norm and not the exception it really is. What have you done for me lately is the battle cry. Patience and reason appear to have taken a back seat to a need for instant gratification.

Has Sweeney made mistakes? Yes.

Is the B's "cupboard" more well stocked under Sweeney than it has been for as long as I can remember? The answer is Yes to this also.

Are all the B's prospects all going to make it? No

Does Boston have enough of them to reasonably say that there will be more than a few that will have an impact over the next few years? I would say yes.

In order to win in a Cap league, a team needs to draft and develop well enough to have players that contribute while still on their ELC's, and also to have a surplus of assets that can be used to acquire players to fill positions where they didn't draft well. I think the B's are quickly approaching the point where this will be the position they are in, so I am good with where Sweeney has the team.

Doesn't mean that it's not going to take time or that there won't be bumps along the way.

I saw B's win Cup in '72. Began to think it would never happen again. 2011 was a treat -- a wonderful treat. I can live with direction this team is heading. This ain't no Johnny Carter, Stevie Heinz, Bobby Sweeney team!!!!!

 

[DKH]

This is a very interesting analogy, but not sure how accurate.

The way I heard it was that the B's were negotiating with Team Dougie and when they didn't get a response to their last offer, they figured something was up, and moved on. The story also goes that Team Dougie torpedoed one deal the B's has in the works because he didn't want to sign there and that the Calgary deal was made under the condition that they not talk to his agents.

Not sure how much of that is true, but I'm not seeing your crush/prom comparison.

I had a spike in esteem I have better sources than front office. Thanks overrated, I appreciate the kind words