While general manager Don Sweeney may have angered some fans with his trade of captain Brad Marchand, team CEO Charlie Jacobs threw his support behind his hockey operations and the retool/rebuild that Sweeney initiated on Friday with the trades of Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo.
In a statement released on social media, Jacobs said that while the Bruins “made our best efforts to keep Brad in black and gold for the rest of his playing career,” he wished Marchand the best of luck in Florida.
Then he gave his full support to team president Cam Neely and Sweeney, as well as the path the club is on.
“Cam, Don and the hockey operations team have my full support as they make these very difficult decisions, which we collectively believe will set our franchise up for a new era of success in the future,” said Jacobs in the statement. “Our goal remains unchanged: to be a Stanley Cup Championship-driven organization. Together, we are charting a course for the next century.”
How much patience ownership has for this direction remains to be seen. Coinciding with the team’s unexpected swoon, ticket prices have gone up 4% for next season.
Meanwhile, in the same release, Neely and Sweeney wrote glowingly about their former captain.
“Brad wore the Black and Gold with a tremendous amount of pride for 16 years. He embodied what it means to be a Bruin,” said Neely.
Added Sweeney: “Being underestimated was all the motivation Brad needed to work harder than anyone to earn a chance to grow from bottom-six agitator to NHL superstar. Then he evolved into a true leader, a captain, an example for all of those who aspired to wear the spoked-B to show them what it takes to compete and win at the highest level and, even more, to do so for the Boston Bruins.”
With Marchand, Coyle, Carlo, Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau out and Casey Mittelstadt, Henri Jokiharju, Jakob Lauko and Marat Khusnutdinov in, it is interim coach Joe Sacco’s job to somehow keep it all together, let everyone know that, even though management has set its course, a playoff spot is still not technically out of reach.
But Friday, as Sweeney was in Boston making his deals, Sacco was in Tampa with the team saying goodbye to friends and welcoming new Bruins.
“It was an uneasy day, right?” Sacco told reporters in Tampa before the Bruins 4-0 win over the Lightning on Saturday. “I’ve been here now almost 11 years and on a personal side, I’ve known Marchy the whole time here, I’ve known Brandon for nine years and (Coyle) almost seven. It’s never easy to see guys of that caliber – as far as the way they handle themselves and the people that they are – go. Unfortunately, that’s the business side of the game. But we’re excited to have the guys that are here right now and that has to be our focus.”
Third spot a charm?
Mittelstadt was obtained by the Bruins from Colorado in the Coyle deal a year after the Avalanche picked him up in the hopes that he would be the depth center they needed. On Friday, they decided Coyle would fill that role better.
“Of course you want it to work out anywhere you are, so there was some disappointment with that, but I’m very excited too come to such a storied franchise with such a great tradition. I know a bunch of guys here as well,” said Mittelstadt, who was the Buffalo Sabres first-round pick (eighth overall) in 2017.
While it might be harsh to call Mittelstadt a bust – he has 116 points in the two previous seasons and 34 points this season – he has not quite lived up to his draft status. He hopes his third landing spot will be a charm.
“I think there is a big opportunity, especially with some of the people that have gone. I think it’s crazy to see some of the people go from here,” said Mittelstadt, who was starting on a line with fellow Minnesotans Vinni Lettieri and Cole Koepke. “From afar, I can tell what they’ve meant. Maybe it’s a little bit of a new beginning and a lot of opportunities. I’ll need to play well. The main thing for me is finding the consistent game, night in and night out, I feel like when I play well, I’m really good. Maybe (I have to) work on the backup game a little bit and find the consistency every night.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Join the Conversation
We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more...
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience.
Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday. Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve.
By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is found on our FAQs.
You can modify your screen name here.
Show less
Join the Conversation
Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.