Who are the Boston Bruins?

[hockeylifer]

Julien is in as coach. What is the new(?) image of the Bruins? Are they a \'trap team\'? Does Julien continue with the New Jersey style of play? Do the kids get a chance or does he go to the veterans? Does Bergeron break out? Does Bochenski continue to develop? Who is their starting goaltender? Thomas? Who are the Boston Bruins? What do you see?

Personally I don\'t think this coach enhances the fantasy value of Bergeron, Bochenski, Kessel.

I don\'t think there will be much change from what they were before. I really don\'t understand the coaching change. Lewis for Julien? Are they not similar?

[lanky522]

They are very similar. I don\'t think anything will change from last season. I don\'t understand this coaching change at all...

On a separate note, they need a goalie. They remind me of Vancouver before Roberto Luongo (just spinning their wheels with substitutes while they wait for a real goalie to come to town)... it took the Canucks more than a decade or two to get themselves a bonified starter; I wonder how long it\'ll take the bruins?

[Thieving Giraffe]

Julien is much more experienced - and telented - when it comes to the development of younger players. Lewis was terrible at that. He is also more of a taskmaster, and will actually impose consequences when players are not giving their all. Lewis was terrible at that, too. I\'m guessing that they\'ll promote Jeff Gordon to assistant coach to supplement the development side of the equation, as well.

In terms of playing style, this is a great real-world move but not a great boost for poolies. Julien isn\'t going to let them run wild, but that\'s in part why their defense was so pourous last season - because while Lewis had a system, nobody followed it. Players would give their all one night, not show up the next three, and the amount of ice time they got was the same. The practices were the same.

To give you an idea of how badly mismanaged the team was, think about it from Chiarelli\'s point of view. The Jacobses are watching. The GM\'s first big move is to bring in this coach. He got little in return for the Stuart or Boyes trades. As Dupont pointed out a couple of days ago, moving Lewis to the back office is a big \"my bad\" statement from Chiarelli. But Lewis\' statement that he didn\'t realize what the players didn\'t know was laughable - you\'re the coach, it shouldn\'t take a full season for you to diagnose the problem.

Julien will be better because he diagnoses on the fly and knows how to fix the problems he discovers. It\'s a good young team with a couple of high profile veterans to lead the way, and I think that this may have an Andy Murray-like effect on them for next season. Not that I\'m guaranteeing playoffs or anything, but this will be a vastly improved team in the coming year.