I have a question... how come Bruins could stay competitive all this time without any bloody rebuild? I mean, granted, their GM wasn't Marc Bergevin, but still. I am jealous. I want a team that I want to to win and not hope for a loss. It's depressing.
They went through a period where they were terrible after trading Joe Thornton. Wayne Primeau was their #1 C, and Montreal beat them 12-13 consecutive games.
Thornton was also a #1 OA pick for them.
They've had their down periods, but had excellent drafts between 2003-2006, then signed Chara as UFA and made some good trades (Horton, Boychuck, etc).