Cam Neely's Clown Show
Well, here I am again writing about the Bruins for all the wrong reasons. Cam Neely and Don Sweeney have once again made the coach the scapegoat. This is the fifth coach this front office has fired, the third time where the coach had won coach of the year, and the second time when the coach’s winning percentage is top two in the league. But what remains the same? Dumb and dumber are still running the show fooling fans like a child playing a rigged carnival game.
Smoke and Mirrors
The signings of Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to big contracts gave fans hope that a shopping spree was coming. Sadly it ended there, and the return on investment has not even come remotely close to paying off. Zadorov only has five assists to this point of the season and is not using his best asset, his body, to his advantage. He is not physical enough, hasn’t been the enforcer this team desperately needs, and just disappears during the flow of the game. Lindholm only has two goals and seven assists thus far. No matter if he is on the first or second line, or who plays with him, they cannot get him going.
The Play of the Team
The amount of shorthanded goals, the lack of power play chances (and the worst power play in the league), the overtime heartbreakers, and the lack of offense in general is just not acceptable. Yes, Swayman holding out maybe did affect the plan to start the season, I will grant you that. But he can’t do everything out there. If the team in front of him isn’t playing well, what is he supposed to do? I was in favor of keeping the tandem of he and Ullmark together. If you still had Ullmark, you could slide him in since he is better equipped to handle a situation like this and you would still have that stability. Joonas Korpisalo has been on the downward fall since his Columbus days ended and even at that time, he wasn’t always fantastic either. His stats show some solid years, but some not so good ones too. On top of that, Brad Marchand looks like a player who cannot go on much longer. It’s time for him to walk away.
Lack of Options
Bruins fans have been waiting for Fabian Lysell to join the roster to add youth and speed to this old and slow bunch. After maybe his best preseason as a pro, he was once again sent down by the organization claiming he is still not ready. Lysell in his first two seasons in Providence has had two good runs. A 14 goal and 23 assist season in 22-23, and a 15 goal and 35 assist season in 23-24. That’s better than some of the guys on the roster right now who are getting a paid a heck of a lot more. Drafting has been a huge weakness with this front office as they are able to find more fringe players and bottom six talent then the top talent this organization has been lacking for years. So instead you have to pay for it in the offseason, and they refuse to do that as we already touched on. The players that have been drafted in this regime were taken way to high and/or are just not producing.
Enough is Enough
Let’s just call it like it is. Right now the Bruins are not an organization willing to go the extra mile to win. They just aren’t. While they have a point advantage on some teams for now, every team in the Atlantic are playing better than them. I am hellbent that the Jacobs family does not care anymore and I will keep saying it. If you are only still owning the team like a corrupt NCAA money grab, just be up front about it. Stop with the charade. I never thought I would want one of the original six teams to stoop to same level as rich alumni boosters trying to buy championships for their school. At least they care enough to do it. The undynamic duo of Stalter and Waldorf in Boston are more committed to keeping their jobs as opposed to taking accountability for the failures and shortcomings they created, and blaming others for failing with the lack of tools they provide.
If Cam Neely and Don Sweeney truly care about this team, then they should do the right thing and step aside. But as you’ve seen me say here before, in sports people will continue to do the wrong thing more than they will ever consider doing what is right. And sadly, the epitome of that has been the reality for this team for so long. While others sit at the top in the box seats looking down and laughing, the Bruins are stuck at the bottom with nothing but a big red nose.