The Bruins already have had an interesting start to the offseason. The question of Patrice Bergeron’s future is up in the air, and many key players have already been announced to be out long term. But those developments have all been dwarfed by an announcement made today. The Boston Bruins have fired head coach, Bruce Cassidy.
Is Firing Bruce Cassidy This Surprising?
Bruce Cassidy has consistently been one of the best coaches in the NHL over the last few years. In his 6-year tenure with Boston, Cassidy has made the playoffs every time. Including a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2019. He was no slouch. But I would be lying if I did not say that I expected him to coach Boston for the foreseeable future.
In May, Bruins general manager, Don Sweeney, had already alluded to uncertainty about Cassidy’s future in Boston. Many took Sweeney’s words as meaning 2022-23 could be the last time we would see Cassidy coaching in Boston. But it seems like the Bruins front office wanted him out ASAP.
Why Fire Bruce Cassidy?
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While Cassidy has led good teams in Boston, he never truly went all the way. And perhaps the front office got tired of it and felt that a change was needed sooner rather than later. You do see this all the time in the NHL. Teams could be competing for a playoff spot, but to ownership, that’s not enough, so the coaches get the ax.
Perhaps too, it less had to deal with performance and more with the locker room. This is purely speculation, but Cassidy may have fallen out of favor with his players. The front office saw this, and they knew they had to make a change. With Patrice Bergeron mulling retirement, this very well could have been a move to appease him and his teammates.
Is This The Right Choice?
No one really knows if this is the right choice for the Bruins. This could just be Boston’s front office making Cassidy a fall guy for their failures. Or, this could be a similar situation to when the Bruins fired their then-coach Claude Julien. Where at the time, it seemed like a dumb decision, but it ended up being their best possible decision. Pretty ironic considering the Bruins now find themselves in that exact situation with Cassidy.
Time will tell what happens here. This could be the start of the end of the recent Bruins era. Or it could just be one last grasp at winning a cup with this core. For now, if you’re a Boston fan, just root for the Celtics in the finals and try to forget about hockey for a bit. Probably could do wonders for your psyche.
Hi, I’m RJ Oakley, the Bruins beat writer here at Belly Up Sports. Check back here and follow me on Twitter for news and discussion on the B’s. Be sure to follow Belly Up Hockey for all your NHL needs!
