Cassidy, Sweeney Put Wrap on 2017-18 Season

BOSTON - If there is one thing that the Bruins can say they accomplished this season, it's an elevated level of expectations.
Entering the 2017-18 campaign, the ceiling for this version of the Black & Gold was up for debate. There were not many that forecast a 112-point run ending with a trip to the second round to be a disappointment.

But Boston's unexpected march to contender status, while not necessarily changing their vision of the future, expedited the franchise's approach.
"We clearly had a good stretch in the middle of the season," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said during his end-of-season press conference with coach Bruce Cassidy on Thursday morning at TD Garden. "We maybe even reset the bar a little bit for ourselves to understand what we were potentially capable of achieving. We got ourselves in a very strong position. We had set the bar for ourselves. Our coaching staff had done a really good job.
"We felt we were a team that was prepared every night, a resilient group that came back. And we just didn't find a way to elevate when we needed to the most."

That is a feeling Sweeney and the rest of the Bruins' front office and coaching staff hopes sticks with the players throughout this offseason. The overarching message: a return trip to the playoffs is not a guarantee.
"When you have the opportunity to get there and move on, you have to value the fact that you just might not get back again," said Sweeney. "You think you have a team that can get there. You want to take a swing at it, you're excited about it, and all of a sudden, it's gone. And then, you're right back down at the bottom of the hill again starting at the same hill you just tried to climb.
"That will be the challenge for our group going forward to recognize that through the course of this summer, that the work you just did, learn from it, benefit from it, but you better be prepared for the next challenge ahead of you."
For Boston's core group of veterans, it is an approach they have had to take many times throughout their careers. The challenge will be for the Bruins' plethora of youngsters to build off of what they accomplished during an impressive breakout campaign.
"The message going out to door with our players yesterday a lot was - like last year's - it's not automatic you get back there," added Cassidy. "We have to put the work in this summer to prepare to be a playoff team again next year. Once we get there, then the idea is to go farther and learn from the experience this year. That's our goal going forward, simply put."

Talking It Out

Sweeney has yet to inform any of the club's nine free agents - seven unrestricted, two restricted - of his plans for them. He did say, however, that it's unlikely all of them return given the league's cap environment.
"We haven't definitively ruled anybody out," said Sweeney. "We're going through the whole pieces. I'll sit with the coaches, and we're just going to go back over where we need to go and the improvements we need to make and be target-specific in the areas that we can do so."
Boston's free agents include Nick Holden, Anton Khudobin, Rick Nash, Riley Nash, Tim Schaller, and Tommy Wingels. The B's restricted free agents are Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk.
"Obviously, our team accomplished a lot to get to the 112-point level. Ideally, you'd like to bring everybody back and think you take another run at it. I don't think that's realistic in a cap environment," said Sweeney. "We can afford the salaries they're currently at, but some of the guys had very good years, and you expect that to change. I've had discussions periodically with some of those players and will have with their representatives going forward in the next month or so.
"We've got some players that we think, internally, will continue to push and carve out goals, and we'll see how we piece the jigsaw puzzle back together. But, all great contributors, and in an ideal world, you'd like to entertain bringing them back, but I don't know if that's realistic today."
With Ryan Donato getting a taste of the NHL, Anders Bjork (shoulder surgery) expected to be fully healthy entering training camp, and prospects Austin Czarnik, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, Trent Frederic, and Jack Studnicka pushing at the lower levels, Boston could have plenty of options to fill their forward holes from within.
"The whole league is trending towards that [younger model]," said Sweeney. "We don't want to put players in positions they're not ready for and they're not able to succeed in on and off the ice. So, the players themselves have to, as I use the term, have to determine it.
"But they should be really, really excited there is an opportunity there. If they're a better player than the player in front of them, they take the job. If they're not, they have to go and learn what it takes to earn that job"

Dealer Donny?

The Bruins are currently without a first-round pick in this June's draft, as it was shipped to the New York Rangers at the trade deadline as part of the package for Rick Nash. But Sweeney did not rule out a deal to recoup a first-rounder.
"Obviously, you'd like to have multiple picks," said Sweeney. "When you're left empty-handed on Friday night you wonder whether or not, 'OK, is there a move to be made that you can get back in there? I've had some discussions, so there could be. It's just, at what cost?
"But, it hurts. It stings from a projection, from a planning standpoint, there's no question it impacts your organization. So, I don't think it's in your best interest to do it repeatedly, and if there's an opportunity, I'll explore it. We'll have some discussion about it.
"Certainly, we're preparing like we would have a first-round pick and having the guys making sure we're in tune."

Interview Requests

Sweeney confirmed that Executive Director of Player Personnel John Ferguson, who also oversees the Providence Bruins, has interviewed for positions with other organizations this spring. No other members of the front office or coaching staff have been approached as of yet.
"It's public knowledge that John Ferguson has been interviewing at a couple different places, so he's been in the mix," said Sweeney. "That's the other team's decision to make. From a coaching standpoint, we have not been approached to this point, so I'd expect our staff to stay intact, but that could change at any minute assuming we give permission based on whatever the job is."

Celtic Pride

Sweeney began the press conference by offering his congratulations to the Celtics for advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Congrats to the Celts last night for moving on, and we'll be eagerly cheering them on as they go through the Conference Finals," said Sweeney.