Boston Bruins
“I feel groups are going to circle taking part in in opposition to the Bruins and go — ‘Oh, rattling, we bought to play them tonight.’”
With the Bruins set to open the 2025-26 season on Wednesday evening in Washington DC, Don Sweeney, Cam Neely, and Charlie Jacobs fielded questions from the media on Monday at TD Backyard.
A number of subjects have been broached throughout Boston’s start-of-season presser, together with Marco Sturm’s first yr as head coach and expectations for this season.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from Monday’s presser:
Turning into a harder out
Neely acknowledged the evident flaw with this present Boston roster on Monday — noting that there are nonetheless a number of query marks concerning the place the Bruins will generate offense when David Pastrnak isn’t on the ice.
However, Neely additionally harassed that Boston has the personnel in place to stay aggressive, due largely to a defensive grouping that’s due for a rebound.
Past the expectation that Jeremy Swayman will bounce again from an .892 save proportion final yr, Boston’s porous protection ought to be shored up with a wholesome Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm again within the equation.
“We do acknowledge we could have slightly bother scoring some objectives, however I feel defensively, we are able to actually play significantly better,” Neely stated. “Clearly, McAvoy and Hampus [being] wholesome are going to be a giant a part of our again finish, however I feel we’re going to be very powerful out this yr. We’re anticipating to play very onerous each sport.”
Because the Bruins attempt to discover methods to coax extra offense out of this group, be it reshuffling skaters within the middle-six grouping or sparking a Twenty ninth-ranked energy play, Neely harassed that Boston made a concerted effort so as to add extra bruisers to the lineup, as evidenced by the additions of gamers like Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont.
“We’re going to need to play tight protection if we’re going to be one of many eight [playoff teams] as we’re structured proper now. And we knew that getting in,” Neely stated. “We tried to bolster our lineup offensively within the offseason. It didn’t come to fruition, however we bought guys which are going to be powerful to play in opposition to, onerous to play in opposition to.
“I feel groups are going to circle taking part in in opposition to the Bruins and go — ‘Oh, rattling, we bought to play them tonight.’ That’s, I feel, the kind of lineup that we put collectively, understanding that hopefully all year long we are able to add some offense someplace. Our particular groups need to get higher. They need to be capable to get higher. There’s no motive for them to not be higher.”
An offseason pivot?
Neely was requested to elaborate additional on Boston’s efforts to bolster the staff’s offense not “coming to fruition.”
“I’m speaking particularly about free brokers. … We focused a number of gamers, and sadly, it simply didn’t work out for varied causes,” Neely stated.
Regardless of the Bruins’ clear want for at the least one different high-end scoring ahead, Boston wasn’t in a position to land one of many few large fish in the marketplace. Nikolaj Ehlers signed a six-year, $51 million contract with the Hurricanes and Brock Boeser re-upped with the Canucks proper earlier than free company on a seven-year, $50.75 million deal.
“We actually felt the underside a part of our lineup wanted slightly bit extra piss and vinegar, if you’ll,” Neely stated. “In order that was one thing we attacked first, after which the free-agent class was what it was from an offensive standpoint. So when it was as restricted because it was … it’s going to be slightly bit tougher to attempt to get a participant that you could be need.
“However I believed our guys did a very good job of placing a roster collectively that’s going to provide us that piss and vinegar, and it’s going to be onerous to play in opposition to, and groups aren’t going to get pleasure from it.”
Loads of reward for Sturm
It stays to be seen how Boston’s progress from coaching camp and preseason motion will carry over into the common season.
However, Sweeney was impressed with what he noticed from Marco Sturm in his first camp as an NHL head coach.
“You’ve heard his voice all through camp, and I feel that’s actually necessary for our gamers to grasp that he’s in command of this and he’s operating it,” Sweeney stated. “He’s delegated rather well with the areas of workers that he has. … Our guys know who’s on the head of the boat on this scenario and so they’re on board.
“And he’s going to carry them to the usual that he holds himself to and desires to as a coach. He needs to have success. He’s going to demand that of each one in all us.”
Past Sturm and his workers making sizable tweaks to Boston’s methods to this point this fall, the pinnacle coach has positioned a premium on conditioning and competitiveness throughout camp — dialing up a number of skating-heavy periods and battle drills alongside the boards throughout camp.
For Sweeney, it was a welcome enchancment from final yr’s disjointed coaching camp.
“I simply didn’t suppose we have been as invested as a bunch final yr. And it at all times begins with the gamers from that standpoint,” Sweeney stated. “We didn’t elevate our degree of competitors within the each day preparation that was mandatory, and it confirmed up.
“And this yr, I’m hopeful that the eye to element, the construction and the issues that we have been attempting to emphasise, however most significantly, the competitiveness will present up and desires to indicate up. And the fellows inside the locker room, I feel, are recognizing that there was a distinct tone, there was a distinct method, individually and collectively.”
Youthful gamers on exterior wanting in
The Bruins announced their final roster cuts over the weekend, with Fraser Minten the lone teenager amongst a pool of gamers like Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell, and Matej Blumel to make the minimize.
For a Bruins staff in determined want of scoring ability of their middle-six grouping, the lack for many youthful gamers to knock down the door and seize a roster spot throughout preseason play stood as a setback.
“Effectively, they’re disenchanted,” Sweeney stated. “A few guys yesterday we have been speaking to who’re proper on the doorstep and, and these are onerous selections you make. A number of of them made it very troublesome. And Fraser, to his credit score, took the chance and he’s earned it. So we’re going to start out that method.
“The opposite guys are going to go and put within the work. … We’re going to play the gamers which are taking part in the most effective. And that extends to Windfall. These guys perceive why they’re introduced right here and so they delivered from a aggressive standpoint, they’re on the doorstep.”
Very like how Sturm mapped out the necessity for extra tangible manufacturing from confirmed AHL scorers like Blumel and Alex Steeves on Monday, Sweeney harassed that the Bruins want these youthful, unproven gamers to stuff the stat sheet in Windfall as they give the impression of being to earn one other spot within the NHL ranks later this yr.
“Whenever you’re taking part in in these roles, that’s what has to return and so they know that,” Sweeney stated of the necessity for these gamers to attain throughout preseason play. “Deep down — for those who requested them actually, they’d most likely admit to it. … We didn’t lose anyone to waivers as we speak.
“They know that they have been on the doorstep of constructing our staff and breaking camp, however additionally they know there’s going to be a possibility right here when both someone is injured or they’re not doing the job that we count on them to do.”
Atoning for final season
Given Boston’s woeful displaying final season (33-39-10 document), Jacobs was requested if the Bruins had taken a success coming into this season when it got here to fan curiosity and season-ticket renewal.
“I wish to say now we have a 12,000-person ready record that folks pay for and I feel we hit a few 94, nearly 95-percent season-ticket renewal charge this previous summer time,” Jacobs stated. “So regardless of the tough season that we had on the ice, our fan base was very supportive in renewing their seats.”
Regardless of there being no semblance of abrasion so far as ticket demand, Neely harassed that the Bruins can’t relaxation on their laurels on this market — particularly given the sizable work that should be executed if this staff needs to play aggressive hockey within the spring.
“We additionally acknowledge, although, that they’ve their very own expectations of their groups within the metropolis,” Neely stated of the followers. “So now we have to match that or do higher than that. We’re not happy in any respect with final yr. We all know we should be higher, and that’s our mission — to be higher.
“Like Charlie stated, we’re blessed to have this nice fan base. It’s actually a deal with to see this constructing come alive. So we bought to provide them extra causes to return alive this yr than we did final yr.”
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