Boston Bruins: Bruce Cassidy fully deserves his new contract

When the Boston Bruins appointed Bruce Cassidy as their head coach, you had to wonder whether he was just the ‘interim guy’; he’s certainly proven otherwise.

In signing a new multi-year deal despite having a year left to run on his contract, the Boston Bruins have shone faith in Bruce Cassidy. Rightly so after he led the team to a somewhat unexpected Stanley Cup Final.

It also removes any risk of the Washington Capitals situation being repeated. In Washington, Barry Trotz took the team to the Stanley Cup Final and won it, only to find himself without a contract.

Fair play to him, he negotiated what he then thought himself to be worth and the Capitals didn’t bite. He found himself offered bigger money by the New York Islanders and took the new challenge.

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Bruce Cassidy, by comparison, could easily make the Stanley Cup Final again, given the strength of this Boston Bruins core group; if he hadn’t have signed this new deal, he too would find himself able to ask for what he wants, even if it meant leaving the Boston Bruins.

Although we don’t know any of the terms to his new contract, neither financial nor indeed term itself; it’s safe to say it’s a smart move by the Boston Bruins given the success we’ve seen since he stepped behind the bench.

Not only has he led the Boston Bruins to back-to-back 100 points-plus seasons, but as noted, he also led the team back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2013. Granted, he wasn’t able to get the win in the end, but if you asked any Bruins fan, even at the start of the playoffs, whether they’d expect to make it to Game 7 of the Final, I don’t think it would’ve been imagined.

In the team’s history, he has the fourth-best winning percentage and a record of 117-52-22; not bad for a guy that, in his only previous NHL head coaching role had a record of 47-53-9 with the 2002-04 Washington Capitals.

Beyond the base statistics, you only need look at the performances he got from his top line trio last year to see that his coaching methods clearly work. Not only that but he’s managed to help ease guys like Charlie McAvoy, Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk into an already strong team.

Perhaps that is what makes Bruce Cassidy most deserving of his new deal; his man management appears to be second to none and even more importantly in a salary-cap world, he seems to be able to get the most out of his cheaper young talent.

Could he do better?

Sure.

But that literally looks like one thing. Winning the Stanley Cup. If he can manage that under this new deal, he’ll write himself into Boston Bruins folklore.