The Boston Bruins are in turmoil. Boston is struggling through a season that had General Manager Don Sweeney calling a roster (that he built) incomplete before the season started, the firing of a Jack Adams Award-winning coach in Jim Montgomery, the holdout and subsequent contract extension of Goalie Jeremy Swayman (who wanted to set the goaltender market), and a roster, that to a man has underperformed.
The Bruins are mired in a six-game losing streak that has seen them outscored 24-11 and fall from third in the Atlantic Division to a wild-card spot that is tenuous at best because all the teams fighting with Boston have games in hand. The Bruins have many issues on the ice – they’re 25th in goals for, 27th in goals against, 28th in assists, 29th in shooting percentage, 25th in penalty kill percentage, last in penalty minutes, and the worst powerplay in Boston Bruins HISTORY, but things may have gone from bad to worse.
How can things get any worse, you say? Well, in a report from Rich Keefe of WEEI radio in Boston, it’s been reported that “the locker room is a disaster, and David Pastrnak is at the center of that. David Pastrnak has told the team he doesn’t want to be on a line with Brad Marchand.” The Bruins appear to have inner turmoil like the Vancouver Canucks are dealing with between J.T. Miler and Elias Pettersson. The Bruins culture that was built by Zdeno Chara and passed to Patrice Bergeron is dead. The Bruins are off the rails and it’s too late to find the tracks, the season is lost.
Boston Bruins Future
Where do the Bruins go from here? The organization needs a shake-up. There should be a front office purge; Sweeney and Neely should go. The Scouting and Player Development staff needs to be gutted or revamped. As currently constructed, the Bruins roster is not a playoff team and needs an influx of talent, NOT 3rd and 4th line grinders. The new GM (I don’t want Sweeney making these decisions) should be trading from the core of this team that has been successful in the past but fallen short when it matters in the postseason. This Bruins team needs fresh blood, fresh ideas, and a change to the DNA of a squad that has consistently fallen short in big moments. EVERY player should be available in trade – no one should be untouchable. Pastrnak may be the issue, and if so he should be the first one out the door. It’s time to return accountability to the players, they have gotten a free pass for too long. The organization must look in the mirror and realize things are broken. The only way to fix the problem is to admit you have one.
Season 4. Episode 16. Gutsy Loss – Bruins Benders Podcast
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