It has been an interesting 96 hours for the Boston Bruins. A Bruins fan might tell you that by “interesting”, I mean “horrific”.
Since Friday, the B’s, with new GM and former Bruin Don Sweeney running the show, traded fan favorite Milan Lucic to the LA Kings for two players and the 13th overall pick, traded Dougie Hamilton for picks including the 15th overall pick, which gave them three straight picks in the first round … but then proceeded to use those picks for some questionable players including Zach Senyshyn, seen as a huge reach drafted for need when Mathew Barzal was still on the board.
That wouldn’t be so painful for Bruins fans except that Hamilton was smeared on his way out the door, which is always bad form especially when not a word was said when Dougie wore the spokes. But here’s the thing: hockey fans are too smart for that sorta thing these days, and Bruins fans saw through the charade.
If the Bruins could go on the offensive on the ice the way they do against young talent that they trade away they’d have won the last 5 Cups
— Jeff Israel (@jeffisrael25) June 28, 2015
Hey, congrats on getting everyone in Boston to focus on the Dougie smear campaign as opposed to their outright hate for Don Sweeney though.
— Bree (@DOYBree) June 28, 2015
Dougie Hamilton was too much for the Bruins to handle but the Predators want to keep Mike Ribeiro around. What a world we live in. — Ian McLaren (@iancmclaren) June 28, 2015
BOSTON, MA – MARCH 07: Adam McQuaid #54 of the Boston Bruins and Zac Rinaldo #36 of the Philadelphia Flyers fight in the first period at TD Garden on March 7, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
But the cherry on top of the sundae came today when the Bruins traded a draft pick for “grit and toughness” guy Zac Rinaldo. Getcha popcorn ready, Boston:
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT COULDNT GET ANY WORSE pic.twitter.com/FY1AptrSZg — Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 29, 2015
I might buy a Bruins ticket just so I can boo Rinaldo. Only reason I’d go to a game this year.
— Justin DOY (@JustinDOY) June 29, 2015
I think Shawn Thornton summed up Bruins fans feelings today: https://t.co/aBnHqlqfyY
— Wayne (@straighttowax) June 29, 2015
The Bruins don’t hate their fans. It only seems that way.
It makes you wonder what Don Sweeney’s plan is … if he has a plan. Granted, the B’s needed some cap shuffling. But trading Dougie Hamilton, whose on-ice Corsi was near the top of the team rankings while hitching your ride to guys like Adam McQuaid (whose Corsi was near the bottom), and acquiring Rinaldo for the abstract asset of “grit and toughness” doesn’t seem like a sure-fire way to win in today’s NHL.
What this regime needs to understand is that this isn’t the 90’s anymore when there was that romantic notion about the Big Bad Bruins – when Ray Bourque was the best defenseman on the planet and the team around him was only good enough to get to the second round but it was okay because the Bruins were lovable tough guys. The Bruins have won one Cup and came within 1:17 of forcing Game 7 for another Cup in the last four years. If that has to be torn down, there had better be a plan to keep this team in contention. And I don’t think Zac Rinaldo is the means to that end. Stats and focuses have advanced and fans have advanced with them. A return to gladiator hockey isn’t going to do anybody any favors. “Adapt or Die”, I believe is the saying that applies here.
The good news is that free agency is on the horizon, so Sweeney can win back this fan base. But if he doesn’t, those tweets you see above are going to seem like invitations for tea compared to what will lie ahead.
