Management Montgomery fired - Sacco named interim coach

[DKH]

so Keefe was the same plant the Bruins used to start the negotiating in the media with Swayman that they accused him of.

They are a circus. Coach #4 for Teflon Don, since he fires coaches for not getting the most out of Cup caliber teams I am hoping Neely holds him to the same standards if they don't make any noise this year.

Lou this is hurtful

 

[bruinmann77]

The Team gives up to many goals at the end of Periods and The PP gives up a ton a SH Opportunity.
not sure what a New Guy behind the Bench is helping there. I am a big Sway guy but i can't believe how bad he been playing so many soft/easy goals

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

I am with Felger. They could trade any player on this team right now and I would be fine with it.

 

[Sheppy]

Turns out the strategy to get bigger, slower, and less skilled didn’t work. Hopefully Sweeney will be following him this off-season

I see this brought up quite a bit. Who are the “bigger, slower, less skilled guys” they brought in that suddenly makes this teams top players stop playing the way they’re capable of?

 

[SPV]

Felger killing Swayman for the Bruins struggles. "I'd trade Swayman right now. The problem is nobody else wants that contract."

He's citing 2 different articles saying Swayman has lost friends in the room, citing Monty who said he won't have many friends left if he doesn't turn things around (implying he's lost the respect of his teammates) and citing Swayman himself who last night said the biggest thing he lost in his hold out was the guys in the room.

Doesn't think it's about the money, but the way he handled it, his attitude and his priorities.

Fwiw.

This seems more likely than not. The team is more talented than they’ve looked, arguably more talented than last year. Montgomery is likely part of the problem, I think his system has been exploited by other teams this year, but he’s still just a scapegoat.

 

[LouJersey]

Lou this is hurtful

Has to be, They can't fire the coach for thinking this is a play-off team and then not make the playoffs, it would be terrible optics.

 

[Beyonder]

NN: Do you think the Bruins would hire a coach like that (non NHL veteran coach, etc.)? Certain is the direction I'd like to see them go, some new and progressive thinking, but they seem pretty attached to the NHL club.

 

[Dr Quincy]

Is Sacco new here?

Hmmm…..been here 10 years 2014-2024

Going into this season the Bruins with him on coaching staff

782 games (covid impacted 82 game schedules in 2 years)

1,027 points

107.7 average

Going into this season the Bruins with Montgomery on the coaching staff
164 games, 135 pts and 109 pts

So clearly you are ok with people losing their jobs based on this year.

Thus Sacco should be gone too.

 

[RedSlider]

Anytime a team underperforms the way the Bruins have the coach is always first to go so I cant say I'm surprised. I don't think this will help anyways, nothing I've seen from this roster as currently built tells me there is a playoff team here & whichever coach they bring in after Sacco isn't likely to get better results unless they make serious changes to the forward group.

Best of luck Monty, seems like a great dude & was a great coach overall in his short time here. I don't think he'll be waiting for work for very long.

 

[bruinmann77]

Maybe he stick with Lines for more than 1 game or Period

 

[EverettMike]

Hey....uh....are we sure the Bruins are underperforming?

 

[bruins309]

Imagine thinking Joe Sacco is the man to fix all of this.

 

[Blitzkrug]

Hey....uh....are we sure the Bruins are underperforming?

This firing will probably answer that question.

My best guess? Yeah, they probably are a tad but firing Monty will reveal that as it turns out, the team just kinda sucks in general.

 

[TD Charlie]

I mean, we all hang out with some unsavory characters here......

Thus, my miles long ignore list.

Still, point taken

 

[Kate08]

Hey....uh....are we sure the Bruins are underperforming?

They are. I don’t think by much, but they are

 

[Sheppy]

Imagine thinking Joe Sacco is the man to fix all of this.

I don’t think anyone is really thinking this.

 

[YukonCornelius]

Letting Blue Jacket forwards part the Red Sea and walk right down the middle of the ice. Also Swayman's fault apparently. Charlie Coyle backchecking like he's in a non-contact beer league. Also Swayman's fault. Guys wide open for one-tees in the slot. You guessed it. Jeremy Swayman.



I thought the line from players is each of them understand it's a business. Geez, what would they of thought of a guy who actually held out into the season?

Honestly if their are guys who look at Swayman differently because of how that contract negotiation went, that's on them not Swayman. Those players need to grow up and be professionals.

Back to the coaching change. The best thing I can say about it is this. The last coaching change I cared this little about was when MOC canned Ftorek late in 2003 and took over the bench himself. That 2003 team was terrible (although not on the level of this year's team) and I didn't think MOC taking over was going to change anything. And it didn't.

Same thing here. They should of shown Sacco the door years ago. I don't expect much. Maybe a couple more wins here over the next 9 games against weaker opponents. The end result (a playoff DNQ) won't change.

They should have fired Sweeney, Bradley, Bonvie and Neely at minimum.

Swayman is currently 5-7-2 with a 3.47 GAA and .884% save percentage… even factoring in the team’s overall play, those are some terrible numbers, especially for a guy getting paid his contract.

 

[Sheppy]

They are. I don’t think by much, but they are

Pastrnak is
Coyle is
Marchand is.
Geekie is
Frederic is
Carlo is
McAvoy is.
Zacha is.

Swayman definitely is.

I think there’s several players not playing up to par.

 

[LouJersey]

The relevance I think is that this situation may need to be resolved in order for the team to move forward. Like, maybe they think Sway went against their culture and don't want him here. Don't want guys who don't buy in. If that's the case, are they thinking they need to trade Swayman to get him out of the room?

I mean, do 50 scouts and GM's show up to watch you play if the best trade chip you have to offer is Morgan Geekie?

I mean did Pasta buy in with the record contract for a winger or McAvoy with his massive 9.5 deal? Because the Bruins didn't make them fight for what they thought was fair that makes them culture guys? Not Swyaman's fault Sweeney f***ed up the cap and couldn't extend him last summer

How bad did this brass f*** up the Ullmark thing? Maybe they should have talked with Swayman for the 18 months leading up to this deal? Maybe say, Hmmm that arbitration wasn't great, maybe it will be hard to negotiate next year as well? maybe we should lock him up or at least start talking Jan 1? Maybe Swayman is more receptive to a 3 year 6.5 mil bridge before he is the #1 and has that fantastic play-offs? How about being proactive? Ringling Bros.

 

[GlenFeatherstone]

I honestly think they are waiting for Sullivan to get fired in Pittsburgh. It’s only a matter of time before he goes. I think he is the guy Sweeney wants.

 

[22Brad Park]

Is Sacco new here?

Hmmm…..been here 10 years 2014-2024

Going into this season the Bruins with him on coaching staff

782 games (covid impacted 82 game schedules in 2 years)

1,027 points

107.7 average

Well he is not safe no more being the interm head coach.Pretty simple actually.Get them playing better or gone by the summer.

 

[Aussie Bruin]

The relevance I think is that this situation may need to be resolved in order for the team to move forward. Like, maybe they think Sway went against their culture and don't want him here. Don't want guys who don't buy in. If that's the case, are they thinking they need to trade Swayman to get him out of the room?

I mean, do 50 scouts and GM's show up to watch you play if the best trade chip you have to offer is Morgan Geekie?

That's true. But a trade seems like an extreme option, at least so soon. I'm sure Sway and the leadership group have had conversations. There should have been a way to thrash things out and move on. However it just might be that there are irreconcilable differences in approach between Sway and the rest. In which case, yeah you've got a problem. Feels a bit much though that it could have come to that already.

 

[Jorah Marshmont]

If this continues, Sweeney needs to be gone before trade deadline so he can’t trade assets for more players teams are willing to trade for free

 

[LouJersey]

I am with Felger. They could trade any player on this team right now and I would be fine with it.

100% with you

 

[Kate08]

Pastrnak is
Coyle is
Marchand is.
Geekie is
Frederic is
Carlo is
McAvoy is.
Zacha is.

Swayman definitely is.

I think there’s several players not playing up to par.

I’ll give you Pastrnak. Marchand to a certain level, but he’s on the wrong side of 35 and has had a bunch of surgeries so this may be what he is now.

The rest of them? Eh. I’ve been saying that this team has overachieved the last 2 years. I don’t think they’re this bad, but I think they’re closer to what we’ve seen this season than what we did in 22/23.