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Coaching and management changes around the league

Marchand not ready for the season.  Bergeron not ready for the season.  Fire the coach with a 245-108-46 record.  I guess if the team is expecting a rebuild not a terrible idea but still somewhat surprising.
 
L K said:
Marchand not ready for the season.  Bergeron not ready for the season.  Fire the coach with a 245-108-46 record.  I guess if the team is expecting a rebuild not a terrible idea but still somewhat surprising.

It does seem like they're at the edge of the cliff, and with only one season left on his contract, this was almost a mercy firing.
 
Surely they would have discussed this with him but if I'm Bergeron and still kinda on the fence about returning for another season or not, having to start a season with a brand new coach as opposed to coming into the year with some familiarity might make a small impact on my decision.
 
bustaheims said:
L K said:
Marchand not ready for the season.  Bergeron not ready for the season.  Fire the coach with a 245-108-46 record.  I guess if the team is expecting a rebuild not a terrible idea but still somewhat surprising.

It does seem like they're at the edge of the cliff, and with only one season left on his contract, this was almost a mercy firing.
This doesn't sound like a Wilson move. Haven't heard many fans or anyone complain about him as a coach. If you believe in him as your coach and you're going to reload, why dump him with a year left and pay him for nothing? Guessing either the players have had enough or management wants to go in another direction because of the available coaches? We'll see when the hire their new guy.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
Surely they would have discussed this with him but if I'm Bergeron and still kinda on the fence about returning for another season or not, having to start a season with a brand new coach as opposed to coming into the year with some familiarity might make a small impact on my decision.

I can't tell if it's a deliberate page turning on the roster (definitely the coach's fault there) to get the re-tool around Pastrnak/McAvoy/Swayman started, or if it's a very bad San Jose mis-read of their team and trajectory.

https://theathletic.com/3352301/2022/06/06/bruce-cassidy-facts-bruins-firing/
President Cam Neely and Sweeney made it clear in end-of-year press conferences that they were dissatisfied with two things: Cassidy?s tactics for producing offense and his approach toward optimizing player performance, especially that of younger ones.

?There is some of that. There?s no question, players being afraid to make mistakes,? said Neely on May 19. ?Especially younger players. Because you hear about it. I was one of those players. I had to learn and grow. I heard about it too when I made mistakes as a younger player. You can?t worry about not getting back out there. I think that?s one of the things we have to change. When younger players make mistakes, they?re worried they?re not going to play the next game. Well, that game is still going on.?

It's a fair point about their offense. Boston has a top notch defensive system, but offensively it was really just throw Pastrnak out with Bergeron/Marchand and hope it goes in or there is a PP to leverage. Without Bergeron/Krejci, Pastrnak's getting exposed going the other way.

The not-playing-the-youth card is a pretty funny one for the GM to be blaming the coach for.

Anyway, it feels pretty much like what the Islanders just did. Coach that made the most with an aging/middling roster bogged down with old grinders with a legit defensive scheme gets blamed for the GMs' roster building mistakes.

Pastrnak has one year left on his deal with Marchand down to surgery recovery, McAvoy and Grzelcyk out for similar. He's the piece you move to restock fast. Should the Leafs throw a lot of assets towards getting a salary-retained Pastrnak (one of Willy's BFFs)?
 
Guilt Trip said:
Pasta would be awesome but no way they trade him to the Leafs....right? Well, probably not lol.
I heard Boston really loves Marner :D

But that's not what I want to do. Boston will be looking for futures if Pastrnak is getting moved.
 
I'm actually pretty surprised how little cap space Boston has. Capfriendly shows them with about $2.3mil for this upcoming season, and that's with Charlie Coyle as their top centre. If Bergeron comes back he'd obviously take a pretty cheap deal at this point, but I figured if he didn't they would have had space to go after one of the bigger UFA forwards.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I'm actually pretty surprised how little cap space Boston has. Capfriendly shows them with about $2.3mil for this upcoming season, and that's with Charlie Coyle as their top centre. If Bergeron comes back he'd obviously take a pretty cheap deal at this point, but I figured if he didn't they would have had space to go after one of the bigger UFA forwards.

How cheap is cheap? 

I know Bergeron is 36, but he's coming off a 25g/65p in 73 games plus another Selke season.

$3-$4?
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I'm actually pretty surprised how little cap space Boston has. Capfriendly shows them with about $2.3mil for this upcoming season, and that's with Charlie Coyle as their top centre. If Bergeron comes back he'd obviously take a pretty cheap deal at this point, but I figured if he didn't they would have had space to go after one of the bigger UFA forwards.

Precisely this is a large part of why he's gone, they need to give plenty of ELC guys a shot and Cassidy has been very harsh on young players. According to those close to the team, young guys are afraid to make plays because they know a mistake will take them out of the lineup, to the point that it's impacting their performance in game.

That doesn't become the narrative if it's just one young guy its happening to.

I rate Cassidy, I always thought he made smart tactical adjustments against the Leafs, he'd find the players to target and ways to specifically break Leafs breakout schemes etc.

I thought Keefe was a little slow making systems adjustments against Tampa when it was clear their schemes had been video'd by Cooper.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
Precisely this is a large part of why he's gone, they need to give plenty of ELC guys a shot and Cassidy has been very harsh on young players. According to those close to the team, young guys are afraid to make plays because they know a mistake will take them out of the lineup, to the point that it's impacting their performance in game.

That doesn't become the narrative if it's just one young guy its happening to.

I know Cam Neely brought this up in his end of year thing too, but like which young players could this even be in reference to? The Bruins drafting has been pretty atrocious lately (oh what could have been in 2015). If Cassidy isn't getting any value from players on ELCs it seems more likely because the organization hasn't provided him with any good ones.
 
CarltonTheBear said:
I know Cam Neely brought this up in his end of year thing too, but like which young players could this even be in reference to? The Bruins drafting has been pretty atrocious lately (oh what could have been in 2015). If Cassidy isn't getting any value from players on ELCs it seems more likely because the organization hasn't provided him with any good ones.

That's a fair point. The Bruins didn't dress a lot of young guys who aren't already established in the league. Those that have dressed have been lower in the lineup/depth types who were fighting for time - the type where, on any team with aspirations of being a contender, would be on a short leash.
 
Bruce Cassidy played the tar out of 19 year old Charlie McAvoy (along with 20 year old Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo) in his first real season. I don't think it's fair to say he didn't play or give chances to younger players. They were players he knew coming up from Providence, so there's that developed trust factor. More recently, I think it really just came down to the coach being handed a bag of spare parts that would not help win games in the Atlantic with some key vet departures/injuries and downturns.
 

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