Facing a roomful of skeptical faces on the eve of the season last October, Bruins team president Cam Neely professed his confidence in the hockey team over which he presides.
With both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci – the 1-2 punch at center and organizational pillars of the past 15 years – deciding to return, Neely said there was a strong “one more run” vibe in the room.
But even Neely didn’t see this coming. He did not see a team that was about to have arguably the greatest regular season in the NHL’s 105-year history.
“I really did feel that we were a playoff team and, when we got healthy, I felt we were a very good hockey club,” said Neely in a conversation with the Herald as the regular season was winding down. “So that’s probably where I got my confidence. But I didn’t anticipate (65) wins.”
The 2022-23 Bruins will be thrown on the historical heap of statistical oddities with the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Lightning if they don’t win their last game of the season in June. But that’s not to say what they’ve accomplished to this point hasn’t been something to truly behold.
The distance this team has traveled in less than a calendar year is mind-boggling. After the B’s lost in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes, there were any number of directions the organization could have gone. The future of the captain Bergeron was up in the air. Krejci was still enjoying life back home in Czechia. GM Don Sweeney was at the end of his contract and still awaiting an extension. There was speculation that superstar David Pastrnak might not like the future of the team and dip his toes into free agency in the summer of ’23. And in Neely’s last presser of the season, he expressed some misgivings about coach Bruce Cassidy, as the coach’s popularity with the press and fans was decreasing inside the B’s dressing.
Cassidy was the first big domino to fall. And while his choice of successor was debated at the time, the hiring of Jim Montgomery has been nothing short of a grand slam, the ever-sunny coach breathing fresh air into the dressing room.
“He’s just a positive guy every day. Obviously when things are going like they are for us this year, it’s hard not to be. But that’s just his makeup. He’s a really positive guy and it brought a different energy into our locker room,” said Neely.
“You take a look at the seasons that some of our players have had. There’s certainly a correlation of maybe a little different atmosphere for them. When you’re an established player, you know you’re going to play and you know you’re going to get your ice time, especially when you’re a star in this league. You can make a few more mistakes than others. But I’ve seen a lot of growth from a number of our players, which has been good.”
Of the players who have benefited from the change, Brandon Carlo has had perhaps his best season, with his work on the penalty kill exemplary. Trent Frederic is now a legitimate top-nine power forward. And as Neely pointed out, the talented Jake DeBrusk, who had requested a trade last season, has continued to be a consistent presence, something the president admitted we saw in the final months under Cassidy.
“We’re seeing the type of player that Jake can be, game in and game out. His compete level’s gone way up and he’s been a big part of our success this year,” said Neely. “I think once he realized that we’re not moving him, he dug in and got his game in order. And he’s just followed it up this year, playing even better I think.”
And then there’s the job that Sweeney has done. Officially re-upped just before his contract expired, Sweeney should get his second GM of the Year award in four years. His heavy lifting dated back to the summer of 2021, when he signed Linus Ullmark, Tomas Nosek, Nick Foligno and Erik Haula. The first three, who had underwhelming seasons last year, have all popped in their own way this season while Haula was flipped for Pavel Zacha, whose career has taken off in Boston after sputtering in New Jersey.
At the end of last season, Sweeney traded for Hampus Lindholm, who should be a Norris Trophy candidate, then signed him to a very reasonable extension. This season, after nailing down the expensive Pastrnak extension, he bolstered the back end and team toughness for swinging a deal for Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway and finally, when he was thrown a curveball with injuries up front, he procured Tyler Bertuzzi.
In about a year and half, Sweeney had what some general managers would consider a good career.
“He’s very focused. He’s a very driven man,” said Neely of Sweeney. “We’ve got a really good staff so we’ve had a lot of really good conversation with our pro and amateur group. Leading up to the deadline, as we saw what we were doing throughout the year, we knew we were definitely going to be adding and we had an idea of what types of players we’d like to add. And fortunately, Don did a really good job of bolstering our roster with player that are going to help us win, with types of players that you need in the playoffs.”
Neely was particularly impressed with the nimble footwork Sweeney showed when, after Foligno and Taylor Hall were injured, and the team was in need of another impact forward, Sweeney landed Bertuzzi.
“Especially when Taylor went down and then Fliggy went down, it was like ‘wow,’” recalled Neely. “We had an opportunity to add another piece in Bertuzzi and Don was like ‘What do you think we should do?’ and I was like ‘absolutely. This is the year we’ve got to do this. This is the year we’re shoving in.’ That came out of nowhere. There wasn’t a lot of planning for that. We did talk about the player, but we certainly didn’t think that we would need to do a move like that. I give Don credit for pulling it together at the last minute.”
There was one well publicized blip. It came when the B’s announced on Nov. 4 they had signed prospect Mitchell Miller, a player who had been found guilty of bullying a classmate. It set off a firestorm in parts of the fandom and even some of the leadership group expressed qualms. Two days later, the club announced it was parting ways with Miller, though he technically still remains under contract.
“Obviously I don’t think we anticipated what was going to come from that signing,” said Neely. “We knew that it was a hot button, no question. But the last thing we ever would have done is risk anything if we thought that was going to be the case.”
With the controversy still swirling, the B’s lost that game in Toronto that Saturday night, just one of (12) regulation losses. But it was a mere flesh wound. They won 10 of their next 11 and never looked back.
While they have a bona fide supernova in Pastrnak and the depth is as good as the club has ever had, the leadership of Bergeron should not be underplayed. Back in training camp – with Charlie McAvoy, Brad Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk all coming off surgeries and unavailable to start the season – Bergeron focused on the opportunities with which some players were presented. That’s what any captain could be expected to say in that situation, but the right players listened. When the puck dropped to start the season in Washington on Oct. 12, the B’s were as dialed in as they could be. Knowing that they were without some key pieces, a work ethic was established from the get-go.
“Anybody that’s been in that locker room has got to learn something from Patrice. And that only helps our franchise when you have leaders like that,” said Neely. “Young kids come in and see ‘So that’s how it’s done?’ This is how you prepare, this is how you get yourself ready to play National Hockey League games. We’re blessed to have a player like Patrice. Not only his work ethic on the ice and off the ice, but also who he is as a human. I think it’s just good for other players to be able to come in and witness that on a daily basis, we’re all thankful for that.”
There is pressure in every playoff run, especially when you’re the favorite like the Bruins. Adding to it all is the fact that the B’s are not exactly on the ground floor of a dynasty. A lot of future considerations have gone out the door to build this team. Bergeron is 37 and Krejci will soon be as well. They are both on one-year contracts.
Neely understandably didn’t want to look too far ahead. But he knows how important these chances are. And he hopes the players are buoyed by what management has done to help them reach the ultimate goal of the Stanley Cup.
“When you’re down there putting the skates on every day and you see what the organization is trying to do to win, it’s encouraging as a player,” said Neely. “You think ‘Oh my God, we have a chance here.’ That’s what you’re playing the game for. You want to win. I think when we can show the players that we are as committed to winning as they are, it just makes them realize we’re all pulling on the same rope together.”
Now it’s up to the players the players and coaches. The record win total doesn’t matter right now. The Bruins need to win 16 more to make this dream season a reality.
Neely has been in a similar spot before as a player. Though not as dominant as the team he now presides over, his 1989-90 Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy. They immediately found themselves in a first round dogfight with the late, lamented Hartford Whalers, which they survived in seven games.
“Once the playoffs start, it’s from scratch, again, right?” said Neely. “For me it’s always been about how you prepare as an individual and how you prepare as a team, not looking too far ahead but just focusing on what you have to do to be prepared to play Game 1 of the playoffs, regardless of where you are in the standings. The beauty of knowing that you having home ice throughout the playoffs is nice. But you’ve got to take advantage of it.”