Neely Talks Sweeney Extension, Recaps 2021-22 Season
Bruins president met with media during end-of-year press conference
In the Works
Neely said that discussions with general manager Don Sweeney on a contract extension have been in the works for several months and he hopes to "hammer something out" over the next few days.
"I started talking with Charlie and Mr. Jacobs after the deadline about extending Don, so that's my plan is to do that," said Neely. "To be honest, I really wanted to see how the year went. We had a lot of changes in the last offseason. So, I just really wanted to see how that played out.
"Obviously, you get January, February, March - really good months for us. The team really came together. I thought we had a lot of depth and I was happy with what he did at the deadline."
Neely credited Sweeney with working diligently throughout the season - including his trade deadline splash of acquiring Hampus Lindholm from Anaheim - despite the unknowns surrounding his personal contract status.
"We actually talked about it," said Neely. "He said, 'I have no problem going into my last year as GM. I'll continue to work the way I work. I'll work as hard as I can to improve the club.' He was very professional in that regard. It was whatever we needed to do to give ourselves a chance to win this year."
Neely talks with media at end of '21-'22 season
Style Changes
Neely said he believes Bruce Cassidy is a "fantastic coach," but that the coaching staff may need to "look at making some changes as far as how we play and the way we do some things."
"I mean, he's brought a lot of success to this organization. I like him as a coach," said Neely. "So, we'll see where it goes. But I do think we need to make some changes. And I think Bruce, a couple of days ago he alluded to that. So, we'll see where that goes with that."
Neely added that he expects to have conversations with Sweeney in the coming days about any potential changes to the staff.
"Don and I are going to connect," said Neely. "I know he's got meetings coming up with the coaching staff, so we'll see where that goes. I haven't really talked to Don about it yet. So, he hasn't really given me an indication, only because, probably, he's not really sure what his situation was."
When it comes to making specific changes in philosophy, Neely pointed to the team's late-season power play struggles as a prime example of an area that could use some shoring up.
"I think there's times when players need to be more reactive out there instead of thinking about, this is how we have to play," said Neely. "Sometimes on the power play, I found it frustrating where we would continue to try to gain the zone the same way with the same results that weren't as good as they could have been, and again, turning pucks over at the blue line because you're trying to beat guys 1-on-1 or 1-on-2.
"It's tough to do in this league. I think a little different philosophy of when to dump pucks in and chase and go after it and try to grind it out down below the dots and get inside the dots and try to create chances that way."
Neely also said he thinks that younger players on the roster need to know they are allowed to learn from their mistakes.
"There's no question players are afraid to make mistakes, especially younger players, because you hear about it," said Neely. "And I was one of those players that I had to learn and grow. And I heard about it, too. And I made mistakes as a younger player. But you can't worry about not getting back out there.
"I think that's one of the things we have to kind of change. I think when younger players make mistakes, they're worried they're not going to play the next game while that game is still going on."
Looking to the Future
With Patrice Bergeron set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, Neely said the hope of the organization, of course, is that the 36-year-old returns for a 19th season with the Black & Gold.
"He understands that we have decisions to make coming up here," Neely said of any potential timeline on a decision. "With him in the lineup is different than without him. Obviously, the year that he had, I hope he feels as good about his game still, because he had a pretty damn good year. hopefully he's mentally prepared to have another one.
"You've got to give him some time to digest all that and talk with his family about it. But we have decisions to make coming up as well."
Should Bergeron opt to retire, Neely said that the organization would have "to go to work" on developing a plan to replace their No. 1 centerman.
"I think it would be challenging to have the year that we had without a Bergeron," said Neely. "It's tough to find a Bergeron. Hopefully he does come back. But if he doesn't, we've got to go to work."
The thought of losing Bergeron, on top of the departures of core stalwarts Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, and Torey Krug in recent years, has had Neely contemplating how to move the organization forward.
"I've been looking at that for a while now," said Neely. "As your core players and your better players start to age out, you do have to look at that. There's no question. But we do have some good young players in this lineup that hopefully continue to grow and hopefully we continue to add to that. But it is something you think about.
"In 2019, we lose in [Game 7] in the Finals. In 2020, we're leading the league and then the world falls apart. We've got to be better. We needed to be better last playoffs. I thought this year, I honestly felt really good that we were going to get by Carolina in Game 7. I really did.
"It is challenging, there's no question. Especially when you are in that window and every deadline, you're trading prospects and picks to try and continue to give your team a better chance to win. So, it is a delicate balance of going for it and also understanding that you're sacrificing a little bit of your future."
When asked if he thought the fanbase would accept if management opted for a full rebuild, in the event that Bergeron retires, Neely said there were no plans to "start losing."
"I don't think anyone really wants to watch losing hockey," said Neely. "That's not the plan, is to start losing. You look at teams across the league that have lost a lot of hockey games over the number of years, and they are in rebuilds. They get better draft picks and ultimately better players, but I think we've done a pretty good job the last 10, 11 years of trying to stay in that window to win.
"But eventually it does catch up to you. But like I said, we do have some good young players in this lineup that hopefully we can build around in the next couple years, so we don't have to do a complete rebuild."
Falling Short
Neely was not pleased with the Bruins' performance in their Game 7 loss to the Hurricanes, saying that the team did not do enough to generate consistent offense.
"You look at playoff hockey on the road, you've got to think 5-on-5, your top guys are going to get shut down," said Neely. "So, your power play has got to come through, your depth has got to come through. Game 7, I wasn't really happy with our game at all. I don't think it was anywhere near our best game that we could have played as a team.
"We had one power play, and that was them putting the puck over the glass, so we didn't draw any penalties. And our secondary scoring kind of dried up on us. You need that in the playoffs, especially on the road."
He went on to say that the B's must do a better job of fighting for inside ice moving forward.
"You're always analyzing and dissecting your club, throughout the whole year really," said Neely. "But the playoffs certainly gave me some indication that we've got to do a little better job of getting inside the dots, maybe not try to have such a rush mentality.
"I thought we were getting a little stubborn at times, turning pucks over at the blue line, whether it was an entry on the power play or 5-on-5. I think at times, you've got to take what's given to you and sometimes you've got to dump it in and go get it and grind it out."
Neely went on to say that Bruins ownership was equally dissatisfied with the way the season ended.
"Well, everybody's disappointed," said Neely. "It's one thing to get into the playoffs, another thing to lose in the first round. It's disappointing, especially when you have a year that we had. We knew the East was going to be tough. We knew whoever we met in the first round was going to be a challenge.
"But like I said, I think we all felt that we could have got by Carolina. We knew it was going to be a tough, long series. So, they're disappointed and rightfully so."
