Bruins Brass Reflects on 2022-23 Season, Disappointing First-Round Exit

BOSTON - Bruins CEO Charlie Jacobs, president Cam Neely, general manager Don Sweeney, and head coach Jim Montgomery met with the media on Tuesday morning at TD Garden to reflect on Boston's 2022-23 season and the club's shocking first-round exit late last month.

Jacobs: "I, at times, have a hard time finding words for just how empty I feel - knowing all that was put into this season, all the potential we had for this run, and it's incredibly disappointing."

Neely: "I can't sit here and BS anybody. This stung…this stung. This left an empty feeling, not just for us up here, the players - the fans especially. They certainly brought it every night in the four games that we played in the first round. So, there was a lot left on the table this year, for sure.

"For me, it's been quite an empty feeling, to be honest with you. You take a look at 2019, the loss in Game 7 [of the Stanley Cup Final], this is a close second for me."

Montgomery: "Frustrated, mad, accountable…the overriding [thing learned] is, it's my job to get the players to own the moment, seize the moment, and that didn't happen, right? And that falls on me. I think with the hard times we went through, we have to learn from them. If we don't learn from them, how are we going to grow? We will just repeat the same thing next year. So, for me it's being able to connect with the players over the course of the summer and build through training camp about what we have to do to make sure that we don't have the same energy level. Because we didn't have the same energy level we had in the regular season, we didn't have the same puck confidence that we had in the regular season, and it hurts.

"I've talked to players, it's hard right now, it's hard for our fans, it's hard for us. And the price we pay is we have to learn from it so that we move forward."

Sweeney: "It's an empty feeling knowing the players are going through it. You look at the season, and you lose sight of the accomplishment because of the failure. That's what you're ultimately going to be judged upon and that's what we sign up for. So, you take the responsibility and ownership as Monty just said. Accountability rests with each and every one of us, and it lives with you, it just does. It sits in the bones and people might not quite understand, but it does. The disappointment for our fan base, because you just know the energy that they're going to provide if you're able to continue through the playoffs."

"Going into the room [after Game 7], it had a lot of feeling to [2019]. You're talking about a Game 7 on the precipice of winning. And now you're losing in the first round, and it had the same feeling of failure. And players acknowledged it. Missed opportunity is exactly how it's described. We missed a massive opportunity. And again, not to push aside a historic season, but it's going to get lost in the translation of this as a result."

Decisions - and Change - Looming

Sweeney said that there is no timetable when it comes to Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci making any decisions on their playing futures. Both said last week during the club's breakup day at Warrior Ice Arena that they would take some time, likely at least a few weeks, to reflect with their families before declaring their intentions.

"We went through this exercise last offseason in putting together two kinds of simultaneous rosters," said Sweeney. "I probably had an indication early enough last summer to go in the direction that we were able to execute. Some things came after that, Pavel Zacha is an example of sort of understanding where we may be and where we want to be.

"The goal was to build the deepest team that we possibly could, and we fell short, ultimately. And the goal will be - you look at the core group of guys that we currently have that had very, very successful regular seasons and we'll build around that, maybe it'll be integrating younger players.

"You can already see where our minds are going in terms of running simultaneous things and we'll respect the timelines on David and Patrice as necessary."

While reflecting on what Bergeron and Krejci have meant to the franchise over the past 15-20 years, Jacobs said that "it's hard to put into words, frankly."

"The leadership, the exemplary play that both players have left," added Jacobs. "In terms of an impression on this organization, I was fortunate enough to be at the draft table when both of those players were drafted, and it is funny how fate unfolds. The days that we drafted those players, frankly as much as scouts and others want to take credit for understanding how special the player, that both of those gentlemen were going to be, you just don't know.

"And then you get to know those men and understand what they are about, their values, and how they approach their day-to-day work, and they are truly professionals, they are real gamers, for lack of a better term. I use that - gamers are people that are all in and both of those players are gamers, in my opinion, and that is something that is hard to replace.

"Hopefully the people, the teammates in that locker room find them as leaders and try to mimic and use them as an example for how they approach their own game."

Regardless of what Bergeron and Krejci decide, Sweeney indicated that "change is coming" to the Bruins' roster given the constraints the club faces with the salary cap. As such, signing unrestricted free agents like Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway will require some work.

"I couldn't just categorically sign those players today," said Sweeney. "Our cap situation, we leveraged a little bit. Everybody knows our overage at [$4.5 million due to Bergeron and Krejci's bonuses]. So, we have some constraints, as do several other teams around the league. Our goal was to put the absolute best roster we could put together and try and take a real legitimate run and we failed, no question. So, we have to pay that forward a little bit.

"That might mean we're instituting younger players, that might mean roster changes, which we would like to make. That might mean I might be able to sign, as you referenced, one of those three players or other unrestricted players. We have to address the two RFAs in [Trent] Frederic and [Jeremy] Swayman, which we will do. And roster changes are likely coming.

"We're not going to be the same team, but our mandate internally, collectively as a group, is we have a really strong core of guys that hopefully, as Jim was talking about, will continue to grow, will take leadership responsibility moving forward regardless of whether or not Patrice and David walk back through the door because they need to."

Sweeney went on to reiterate that the Bruins may need to rely on some younger players to progress into more important roles next season.

"Ideally, I wouldn't be sitting here. I'll be perfectly honest with you. And I think everybody knows that," said Sweeney. "And I take a lot of ownership in the fact that we're sitting here. So, we have a really good group of young players that are committed to this organization in some key positions for our organization. We have to grow and foster some younger players that will play some roles. So, we feel good about if you look at guys who can go and play a top-six role right now. I think we have to fill the bottom part of our roster.

"I believe our core of, when you start with [Brandon] Carlo, [Hampus] Lindholm and [Charlie] McAvoy, is really at the top level of the league and how they performed in particular in the regular season and in pockets in the playoffs to the same degree. We had very, very good goaltending in the regular season. As I referenced earlier, structure breakdowns and team-wide breakdowns led to the fact that we're not playing today.

"They have to take some ownership of that, but you have to feel good about playing either one of [the goalies] moving forward. So, we have some challenges and that just might mean that younger players will have their ears pinned back in terms of the opportunity that is presented to them as well. The cap flexibility will certainly be an area that I'm going to try and explore."

Neely added that "the goal is always to remain competitive" even if the Bruins make significant changes to the team that won a record 65 games in 2022-23.

"Don mentioned the pieces that we have coming back are pretty good hockey players," said Neely. "I think we got a little taste of potentially what the team might look like [without Bergeron and Krejci] in Games 3 and 4. I thought those two games obviously put us up three games to one. So, I think we can still be a better team, but there's a lot of work to do this summer, there's no question. "

Between the Pipes

Sweeney said that management and the coaching staff is provided a daily injury report throughout the season and that media reports regarding Linus Ullmark having a "debilitating injury" did not match what was given to them from the team's medical staff.

"The statement of debilitating and painful injury might have been more pertinent to Patrice Bergeron when he was injured," said Sweeney. "Again, we get a report that is who is available, and Linus was fully available to play. He had something that was going on at the very, very end of the season, but it had cleared up for him to be eligible to play and had he not been, we certainly would have made a different decision. We felt very comfortable all year with the rotation we had and confidence in both goaltenders."

Montgomery said that "in hindsight" he "absolutely" would have gone to Jeremy Swayman earlier in the postseason.

"I try to put our players in the best situation to excel. There is an added mental grind in the playoffs, and it takes a toll, right? That's what I've learned through this grind is the expectations that were put on our team going into the playoffs, there is a price you pay," said Montgomery.

"Everybody does and I think we are going to learn from this, everybody. The players, especially me…I'm going to learn and I'm going to have to help the players push through, which I didn't do this year."

Boston's bench boss also clarified comments he made following the B's Game 7 loss to Florida during which he said goaltending coach Bob Essensa makes the call on which netminder gets the start each night.

"All season long, I said that Goalie Bob makes the decision… I make the final decision, right? I'm the one that picks the starter," said Montgomery. "So, it's not Goalie Bob's decision, but I really rely on him heavily. And to answer your question, specifically, is we discussed this as a staff. I will talk in the playoffs especially, even more so with Sweens and Cam - and in the end, we win Games 3 and 4, so you have two days off and you think Game 5 is going to go well.

"I personally spoke with Linus and he answered me a real honest question and took ownership of where he was at in Game 5. And what he relayed to me made me believe that you learn and you grow and he was ready to grow and lead us to a Game 6 win. And that in the end is what made me decide that he was our goaltender for Game 6."

On the Injury Front

Montgomery said that he had no hesitations in Bergeron returning to the lineup for Game 5 after speaking with the Boston captain following Boston's Game 3 victory in Sunrise.

"After Game 3, I called Patrice. We were in Florida, and I was talking to him, and I said, 'I know you're doing better, I've seen the video of your rehab skates. If we win Game 4, is it prudent to us to give you more time?'" Montgomery recalled. "And he goes, 'What do you mean?' I go, 'Do we not play you Game 5?' And he said, 'Monty, I'm playing Game 5.' That was enough for me to know. You don't keep Hall of Fame players out of the lineup."

Sweeney added that Bergeron was "categorically unavailable for Games 1 through 4" but was cleared by the medical staff to return to game action for Game 5.

"He had progressed to the point where he and medical staff felt very comfortable that he was back, able to play to the level that he wants to," said Sweeney. "He had missed time, so, you're jumping into the middle of the series, but he was ready to play. I won't speak for Jim. I'm guessing he might say, I'm playing Patrice if he's ready to play, and that's really how it went, the decision-making."

Montgomery said that the experience this postseason has not altered his thinking when it comes to allowing players to play through injury.

"I think we're going to trust our medical people when they give us the advice," said Montgomery. "I'm always going to talk to the players. I believe the players are honest with me. Of course, they want to play, and you always analyze what percentage he might be at, depending on the player. The decisions we make as Boston Bruins, we make them collectively. In the end, I got to make that final decision. Which I'm really comfortable with the decisions we made."

Sweeney said that on the whole the Bruins, "do not have any impending surgeries on the books. We have guys that have gone through some bumps and bruises that take a little bit of time, but nothing impending in surgery."

Wait, There's More

Montgomery on what he would have done differently against Florida: "Hindsight, you can go back and look at everything, right? But the two things that come to mind would've been…I've already talked about the toll on the goaltenders and going to Sway a little earlier - what game that is, that's debatable…again, that's hindsight. Not starting with my normal lines for Game 5, I have my logic as to why it made sense, but it didn't help us with our start, obviously, right? So, that I learned from. I think I could have switched the D-pairings on who the matchups were a little bit quicker. We were shutting down one line really well, we weren't shutting down another line really well; we did for two games, and we didn't for five. Those are the things that really stick with me, but the No. 1 thing is my job is to get the players to elevate their games and I didn't do that."

Sweeney on what went wrong in the first-round loss to the Panthers: "It's not about just pointing the finger at any one person. At the end of the day, ill time for execution was a massive problem for us. In particular, in some of the games, breakdown in structure, which we really hadn't done for the vast majority of the season. And our goaltending wasn't at the same levels of the regular season. So those three things combined are going to lead to variance in results. Now you can pinpoint and start to point fingers, but that's not what this organization is about. You take that collective failure, and you have to acknowledge the areas that you're going to improve. And Jim's referencing some of those things, and so am I. So behind closed doors, we are going to call each other out in those areas and pinpoint. It's not any one singular person's fault. Everybody makes mistakes, everybody in the course of the game.

Sweeney on the Bruins' 7-5 loss in Game 6 in Sunrise: "I think Game 6 is a bit of a snapshot of what kind of went wrong for us at points of the series where we're in control for a vast majority of games, we close games, so we have the confidence to do those things and it dissipated in key moments right up until Game 7, where we're in full control of the hockey game with a minute to go….[Game 6] was not a team that I was comfortable watching in the course of the night….and even in Game 7, we were tight to start the game. Give our fans our credit. We got back to our game, we're in control of the game at 3-2. That's the team that we had….and again, I go back to the fact we ill-timed execution breakdowns in structure, and again the goaltending, which was fantastic for the regular season - it was average as was some of our play."

Neely on the Bruins feeling some of the outside pressures of putting forth the best regular season in NHL history: "If you recall going into last season, everybody had us as a potential wild card team. So, there was zero expectations going into this past season, especially with all the injuries we had to start the year. I think with the change we made with the head coach, everybody was questioning where we were going. So, we end up having this historic year. My concern was, 'OK, are the guys going to put too much pressure on themselves because of the regular season we had, and the expectation just went through the roof?' So, I had a couple players at the exit meetings actually apologize, say, 'You guys gave us a wagon of a team, and we didn't execute.' So, the players, they know. Players know when you have a chance to win and when you don't. They knew we had a chance to win. They knew we had a chance to go deep. And for whatever reason, we didn't play the way we played in the regular season…the confidence, the nerves, I don't know what it was, but these are the things that we have to dig into. Narratives started to change, you win the Presidents' Trophy, teams rarely win the Stanley Cup. So, all those things, the outside noise, maybe creeped a little bit in for me."

Sweeney on any potential changes to the coaching staff: "We're going back through that stuff right now. We don't have anything impending, but I reserve the right that we're going to have to continue to unpack what's best for our organization and what Jim feels would help continue to move this group going forward and we'll make better decisions."

Jacobs on any potential changes to management: "I feel like our general manager, our team president pushed all the right buttons to deliver the best possible team we could for this year. I applaud them for the work they've done, I'm far from asking for a management change."

Jacobs on the Bruins' upcoming Centennial celebration, which will begin with the 2023-24 campaign: "We have a whole team of associates, both internal and external, that are working on a number of projects in flight. Everything from an era [nights]… from the 60s, 70s, 80s, all the way up to current [years], that we intend to celebrate throughout the season. We have a Hall of Fame in process, we're going to title it 'Heritage Hall,' it's going to be here at the TD Garden. There are a number of projects that I'd like to dive into later, perhaps not today at the season ending press conference, but to tell you that there are a lot of really great people doing some really wonderful work and our job as management and ownership here, is to do the best we can to honor the Boston Bruins legacy and we don't take that lightly. The team of people that we have assembled, I'm very proud of and hopefully when this is all over and behind us, we've written a playbook for other U.S.-based franchises that turn 100 years old for years to come."