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Boston Bruins Debate: Claude Julien’s Future

By Christopher Bokum

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So much controversy has spurred this offseason over whether or not coach Claude Julien would remain with the Boston Bruins for the length of his current contract. As of this past November, Julien is slated to remain under contract with the B’s after receiving a three-year extension last year. But what does that really mean with a new general manager and a team president with ample authority?

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Back when the Bruins initially fell from the playoff race and subsequently were eliminated, word on the street was Julien’s tenure with the team would end sooner than planned.

Cam Neely

stressed his reservations about the team and where it was headed. Then came the reports that back in January, Neely wanted Julien fired. It’s as clear as can be that Neely is not an advocate of Julien. Knowing this, why haven’t the Bruins moved on from Julien?

Thus, the debate is on. Here is my view on Julien and his future with the team:

Why haven’t the Bruins moved in a different direction?

As a coach, Julien is a professional and deserves to be coaching an NHL team. The Bruins just should not be the team he receives a paycheck from. No pundit would dispute Julien’s abilities as a coach. He’s a Stanley Cup winner and Jack Adams Award recipient. But aren’t the Bruins trying to head towards a different direction? Don Sweeney has felt that way. He understands that the Bruins are a team that is itching to evolve like the rest of the league.

“We do have to move a little bit in a different direction. And we’re at a bit of a crossroads in that regard,” Sweeney said in June.

Sweeney has been busy this offseason at obtaining new faces to help change this team. He never considered blowing up the team, though, some felt he was when letting Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton go. Sweeney understands that this team needs a fresh approach on the roster and a new style of play on the ice. The team needs to evolve. This team needs to focus more on its speed and play more of an uptempo brand of hockey. But Julien and his staff are back for more next season. No matter what Julien says, his old ways of coaching will remain, and his time in Boston seems rather uneasy.

“For people who think we’re going to play a run-and-gun game, it’s not happening. We can talk about all kinds of things: The teams that are in the finals right now, one of them had an even better goals-against average than we did. This game hasn’t changed. You need good defense. You need good offense. You need both, and we’ve been able to do that for a lot of years.” – Claude Julien

Don Sweeney may have just given Julien new players this offseason, but how do we know they won’t fall into his old coaching method? The kids aren’t trusted. Those who aren’t as adroit defensively aren’t trusted. Julien packs it in with vets. They are the ones who see the ice. Chris Kelly had an ATOI of 15:08 last year. We know how Julien coaches his teams by now. The two teams that made the finals this year prove where this league is headed. They use speed and youth to their advantage by entering the zone with speed and score off the rush. The Bruins, under Julien, have played a dump and chase brand of hockey and like to play off the cycle. At the end of the day, when the Bruins are in the thick of things come January, can the team trust that he’ll coach to their liking? Or will Julien resort to his old ways?

Do the Bruins candidly trust Julien? Are they all in on the coach? Does Neely really want Julien to play through his contract? Does Julien trust the front office? If Julien is only here because of his three-year extension, that’s not the right reason. Sweeney and the B’s feel it might work out well. But there are no guarantees.

What are your thoughts on coach Julien? Join the debate with CausewayCrowd’s Christopher Bokum by leaving a comment below. Read more from Bokum here and follow him on Twitter @ChrisBokum

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