Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is happy with the job GM Peter Chiarelli is doing and the state of the team as they head into the 2009-10 season.
Chiarelli’s first season in 2006-07 may have not gone as planned, but the Nepean, Ontario, native has recovered nicely and built a solid staff around him and a winning team on the ice.
“He’s done a great job, and that’s why we extended his contract,” Jacobs said of Chiarelli. “We were all here, and while you were all totally and justifiably critical when we stumbled at first, we got it going and stayed with it. I think the organization is working really well, and I think the personalities are in place to run it.”
Chiarelli has focused on changing the culture around the team and within the dressing room during his tenure. Word has spread around the league, and players now want to play for the Bruins and take pride when they do.
“It’s very satisfying to see that they want to come here, play here and be a part of this organization,” Jacobs said. “Success breeds that. The more success you have, the more players will come. Peter is one of the main reasons for that.”
Jacobs believes one of Chiarelli’s greatest strengths is his focus on building from within. As Jacobs pointed out, the tough decision the team had to make in sending down forwards Brad Marchand and Zach Hamill on Monday was proof that the Bruins’ system is deep, and the future is bright.
“I think that the depth that we have coming up from our minor league club is probably the most gratifying,” Jacobs said. “The difficulty accommodating these players is a great thing because some of these kids are NHL-caliber players, and hopefully, they’ll be back, but I don’t think we realized before the depth we had. We didn’t harvest it but we’re doing that now, and it’s great to see.”
Jacobs also commended his GM for the way he handled the Phil Kessel situation and the return he got for the team’s leading scorer in 2008-09.
“Those two first-round picks are very special and valuable, and you can do a lot of things with them,” Jacobs pointed out. “With the cap, you have confinement, and to get picks like that and entry-level deals having their prices flawed, that’s a big factor, and these picks are good to have. I thought he did a good job with what he got back.”
Throughout the negotiations with Kessel and agent Wade Arnott, Chiarelli refrained from engaging in a media war of words, choosing to take the high road instead. Jacobs was happy with the way his GM handled himself and represented the team.
“Pete’s a professional, and it comes through, and he’s today’s professional, too,” Jacobs said. “He’s not building on something that happened 40 years ago. He’s focused on tomorrow.”
