Bruins' Neely: No appetite for retool, but need to 'prepare for 2 paths'
Bruins president Cam Neely isn't interested in blowing up his team, but he's also realistic about where Boston stands past the midway mark of the 2024-25 season with the March 7 trade deadline on the horizon.
"Right now, I don't really have that appetite (for a rebuild or retool) but like I told our (general manager) and the staff - we have our meetings coming up here in a little bit - we do have to prepare for two paths," the executive said Wednesday. "Obviously, the one path is that we're buyers and we feel good about our team, but the other path is, maybe, somewhat of a retool. But we're not focusing on that right now, we're focussing on trying to get our team to be in a better place."
He added: "We still feel like we've got a playoff team here, and we certainly don't want to jeopardize getting out of the playoffs because we made some moves that may be good for the future but not good for the present."
The Bruins entered Wednesday's action holding the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with a 22-19-5 record, but their footing in the playoff race is precarious. They have the same number of points (49) as the Lightning, who sit in third place in the Atlantic Division, but Tampa Bay has four games in hand.
Meanwhile, there are plenty of other teams in the wild-card hunt who have played fewer contests than Boston:
| Rank | Team | GP | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| WC1 | Boston Bruins | 46 | 49 |
| WC2 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 44 | 48 |
| 3 | Ottawa Senators | 43 | 47 |
| 4 | Montreal Canadiens | 43 | 46 |
| 5 | Detroit Red Wings | 43 | 44 |
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 45 | 44 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 46 | 44 |
| 8 | New York Rangers | 43 | 43 |
| 9 | New York Islanders | 43 | 41 |
It's been a dramatic campaign for the Bruins: They've dealt with a coaching change and criticism of their leadership group, not to mention Jeremy Swayman's public contract negotiations before the season even started.
"This year's been a little frustrating because we honestly felt, coming out of the offseason, that we had a better team than what we've showed on the ice," Neely said. "Maybe that's a product of us overvaluing what we have, or just the start that we had was not expected, to be honest with you."
He also understands that Boston fans have gotten used to a certain level of success after making the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons.
"We're aware of the expectations here, and we try to meet and exceed those every year," Neely continued. "Right now, it's a year that we're not really accustomed to."
Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs backed Neely and general manager Don Sweeney on Wednesday.
"I have faith that they'll make the right decisions," he said. "I don't have the playbook for that. I have faith that they will make those decisions, though."
Boston has won its past two games after dropping six straight contests. The team will take on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.