Neely and Sweeney are said to be on the ropes with the Bruins and things could get messy in Boston

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Jeff Drouin
August 8, 2022 (4:04 PM)

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One of the most controversial decisions made this NHL off-season was the Boston Bruins' decision to fire head coach Bruce Cassidy and later replace him with Jim Montgomery.

The decision to fire Cassidy was met with a lot of pushback from Bruins fans, many of whom are unhappy with the direction of the franchise under team president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney. According to The Hockey News, both leaders are now on the hot seat as the team heads toward a downturn and an inevitable rebuild:

"WHY: The Bruins have made the playoffs every year for the past six years, and that's a credit to the management tandem of Neely and Sweeney, who have worked together in their respective roles since 2015. But the Stanley Cup has eluded them, and last season they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17. There is a sense that the franchise is facing the law of diminishing returns, which may be why Neely and Sweeney chose to fire longtime coach Bruce Cassidy this summer, replacing him with former Dallas Stars coach Jim Montgomery."

"Boston's core of forward talent is mostly in the 30s - and that doesn't include centers Patrice Bergeron (37) and David Krejci (36), both of whom are expected to return to the Bruins on one-year contracts for the 2022-23 season. campaign. The problem for Sweeney is that the Bruins have only $4.7 million in salary cap space, and while that problem is temporarily mitigated because star winger Brad Marchand and elite defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who will both be sidelined for the first two months of the regular season, it also means Boston will be particularly hamstrung in terms of talent in a particularly more competitive Atlantic Division."

It should be noted that The Hockey News article came out before the Monday morning announcement of the signings of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

Despite these returns, the Bruins will have to work hard this season to secure a playoff spot. Failure to do so could spell the end of the Neely/Sweeney era, when a rebuild will likely be required.