Boston Bruins: Extending Bruce Cassidy should be a no-brainer

The Boston Bruins are very close to making Bruce Cassidy their Head Coach for a bit longer.

Bruce Cassidy‘s extension should be regarded as something rather clear, smart and should be done without over-thinking it. As per the latest report from The Athletic (subscription required), the Boston Bruins have begun the conversation with their head coach in regards to his expiring contract and what to do with it.

As reported by the same source in June, after the Stanley Cup Final the Boston Bruins’ management started to consider extending Bruce Cassidy.

The biggest concern for the Bruins might be Barry Trotz’s case from 2018. After he won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, he ended up as a free agent head coach and the Caps found themselves in a pretty awkward situation.

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To sum it up, before the playoffs started the Capitals probably didn’t have their mind clearly made up and hence they hesitated. Two months later, Trotz finally delivered the Stanley Cup and Washington was open to extending him. However, it was too late already, as he decided to skip on the Caps’ hesitations and signed with the New York Islanders.

The Bruins want to let it be known that they are willing to secure Bruce Cassidy for years to come. His current contract expires in 2020. For the Boston Bruins, the Bruce Cassidy extension is not a necessity or a priority, it’s a no-brainer.

Cassidy has become the second-fastest coach in the Bruins history to record 100 wins. He has just posted two consecutive 100-point seasons and the only one he ‘failed’ to deliver at least 100 points, he only coached the team from February onward.

From the misery of missing the playoffs for three straight seasons, Bruce Cassidy has achieved somewhat of a renaissance with a relatively similar group of players, making the playoffs for three successive seasons.

In June, he almost won the Stanley Cup with the Boston Bruins. It’s his relationship with the players, especially the younger group coming through which make him such a highly regarded coach in the NHL. Indeed, he was nominated for the Jack Adams Award last year.

Besides all his good stats and numbers, he has revived the Boston Bruins. After the rather defensive style the Bruins played under former head coach Claude Julien; Cassidy made his team play a more entertaining offensive-minded style. Having guys like Torey Krug, Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy on the back-end certainly helps the issue.

Cassidy has always been very patient with the young players, not shying away from giving them a proper opportunity or when they underachieve, simply cutting them off. As highlighted in the recent Stanley Cup Playoff run, the Bruins have become more of a family under Cassidy. There are no conflicts between the coach and the players, which are still evident in some NHL teams even today.

The Boston Bruins can be thrilled with the coach they have. The players are happy with him, Cassidy also feels privileged to coach this team, while still finding time to support other Boston teams. Also, there are absolutely no coach-player, player-coach, front office-coach type issues, at least not ones that make the media. Everything runs smoothly.

A Bruce Cassidy extension is a no-brainer for the Bruins and they should seal it as soon as possible. The Bruins are privileged to have such a good coach, whose path to become a regular NHL coach hasn’t been the easiest one. But he is certainly succeeding on Causeway Street.