Bruins’ brass believes team can be back in playoffs next season

As they attempted to sift through the carnage of an unexpectedly terrible season and try to chart a curriculum out of their current storm Bruins executives ran the gamut of emotions and stances in a nearly hourlong season-ending press conference at times contentious as well as conflicting at the Garden on Wednesday They went from self-flagellation an embarrassment was how CEO Charlie Jacobs referred to the season to acknowledgment of failure GM Don Sweeney I have to accept the responsibility that this club this season significantly underperformed to combativeness company president Cam Neely reported there s been more good than bad over his and Sweeney s tenures But now that the masses shaming box has been checked off for this disastrous campaign the question is how long will it take to get back to being a real sustainable contender I think we re back in the mix with the group of guys if we stay healthy and we do our jobs disclosed Sweeney That could be true depending on how you define being back in the mix If it means just getting back into playoff contention then yes it s feasible Unlike the bulk other rebuilding teams they have specific of the prized pieces already in place There is superstar David Pastrnak in his prime Provided they return healthy they will be adding No and No defensemen in Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm Morgan Geekie who enjoyed a breakout season with goals remains under the B s control as an RFA and Sweeney noted one way or another he ll be on the association next season And one has to believe hope a better version of Jeremy Swayman shows up in training camp There are several free agent wings and Sweeney highlighted the need to address the wing position that could make them a better club Mitch Marner is the prize of the region if he gets to it but there s also Nikolaj Ehlers and Brock Boeser Old friend Ryan Donato - - has also put himself in position for a sizable payday But there is a long distance between being back in the mix for the playoffs and being a group that can compete for a Stanley Cup year after year And only time and good drafting can bridge that gap The list of what went wrong this season is long They didn t have enough scoring they didn t defend like they have in the past even before the injuries to the back end occurred the goaltending was a disappointment and the special teams were bad There are holes and a lot of them All of that was bad enough to make them the fifth-worst organization in the NHL while former also-ran teams in their own division Montreal Ottawa certainly got over the playoff hump The B s are currently looking up at five playoff teams just in their own division Neely explained the organization has to build back better The biggest thing for me is I don t want everyone to focus on just making the playoffs Yes we do want to make the playoffs but we have bigger goals in mind than just making the playoffs reported Neely It s not just about getting in and getting bounced in round one We re here to understand we have to build a band that s going to compete for Stanley Cups Don and his group have done it before I have full confidence we can do it again While there s an organizational belief that the B s can be in the post-season next year Jacobs revealed he could grant several patience sort of If Cam and Don came to me and announced listen we do think we have a path towards a championship but we need patience of lesson we ll be person I do feel though and we ve spoken at great lengths about this the unit that we at this time have healthy with the additions we intend to make this summer we ll have a playoff association and play meaningful hockrey at this time of year in Though Neely defended the job Sweeney has done over the past decade it s not exactly clear what the GM has to do this offseason to earn more time to bolster this squad s foundation It is no secret that he is entering the final year of his contract and despite his praise for the GM Neely remained non-committal on Sweeney I m still contemplating what the best program of action is declared Neely The year we had is a huge disappointment and that falls on all of us not just Don I ll figure it out in the near future on that particular question whether we re-sign Don or not While Sweeney mentioned addressing the wing position the center position remains a question mark The top three centers right now are Elias Lindholm Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha It s a group that requirements help But established top-six centermen don t often come available Like Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci those players are usually drafted developed and cherished It s a good bet that they draft a center in the June draft whether picking at No or But it s unlikely that player will even be the roster next season never mind make an impact high in the lineup Unless Sweeney hits a dinger of a bargain improvement at center is an area that will require that patience But before Sweeney goes about improving the roster he has to find a coach He declared that interim coach Joe Sacco is still in the mix and will be part of the final interview process but he also pointed out that the product after Jan was just not good enough I want a coach that s going to evolve a little bit offensively and again that s part and parcel with being able to communicate with sometimes younger players and their stubbornness and inexperience stated Sweeney Sweeney also wants to the new coach to reinvigorate the internal competition that he felt was lacking Of module to have internal competition you to have the players to push each other It is Sweeney s job to get those players How long he has it depends on how flourishing he is