It's not exactly the way the champs envisioned beginning the defense of their first Stanley Cup in 39 years. All is not lost however. There is more than five months left in the regular season, and November at least got off to a good start. Still, the Bruins can't afford to allow any more lackluster efforts to cost them points if they hope to have a chance to defend that title in the spring. They took the first step in the right direction with Tuesday's win over Ottawa.
So what are the issues still plaguing the Bruins? And what do they need to do to get their season back on track? Read on to see in this week's edition of the Bruins Mailbag.
I've done my best to answer as many of your questions as possible this week, but there were plenty of questions I couldn't get to. I'd like to thank all the readers who sent in questions and apologize in advance if I wasn't able to get to yours. Please keep submitting your questions and I'll answer as many of them as I can as we continue on in the season.
1. Doug, how simple are the little things that need to be fixed with the offense, or is it bad breaks?
— via Twitter @mesomean (Matthew Wilson)
2. Who do you think will be the most crucial player that needs to step up and stop the Bruins' current losing streak?
— Laura Ken Nedy, Cape Breton University
It's tough to single out one player when virtually the entire team is struggling right now. But if there is one player capable of leading them out of this slump it might just be David Krejci. The Bruins are different team when he is in the lineup and on his game. That was never more evident than in the playoff collapse in 2010 after he went down with a wrist injury, and Krejci showed his importance to the lineup again in last year's Cup run when he led the league in postseason scoring with 12-11-23 totals in 25 games. This year he had just one goal and no assists and is a minus-6 through eight games. He did miss three games with a core injury, but he has not been nearly effective enough when he's played. Claude Julien has reunited last year's top line with Krejci between Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton, both of whom have been underwhelming as well. All three need to rekindle the chemistry they showed last season and produce like a legitimate top line again. If they can, that will take some pressure off the other units and could have a domino effect to get everyone going again.
3. Who do you see as the off-ice leader in the dressing room of this 2011-12 group of Bruins? Undoubtably last season you could get a feel or sense that [Mark] Recchi was the go-to guy in the locker room to settle the group down. Possibly I see [Patrice] Bergeron filling that role but unlikely and as I go down the list of this year's Bruins, it's difficult for me to pin-point that type of player. What's your feeling on who the closed door leader of the group is? Thanks.
— Miszczak Boivin, Regina, Canada
Even without Recchi, leadership within the room is one area the Bruins shouldn't have any concerns with. I'm not sure why you would be so quick to dismiss Bergeron's influence. He is one of the most respected players in the room and while not the most vocal guy, he speaks up when necessary and definitely commands the attention of the rest of the squad. The same can be said for Zdeno Chara, Chris Kelly and Andrew Ference, which is why those players are all wearing letters this season. For more vocal leadership, Shawn Thornton isn't exactly shy about letting his voice be heard and his commitment to the team and two Cups give his words the ring of authority. This is still a tight-knit team with strong camaraderie and leadership. The problems this year are not within the room. They have been on the ice, and translating that chemistry into proper effort and execution when it matters most.
4. Is it time to start thinking about a new coach? Someone more like Gen. Patton that will be able to kick the players into shape? The Bruins roster has plenty of talent. They just seem to have their heads you know where. What we've seen the past month is similar to what we saw a lot of last year.
— Fred, Arlington, Mass.
No. Simply no. The issue with this team isn't coaching, just as it wasn't last year when so many called for Julien's head. It was misguided criticism then and it's even more misguided now. And while the Julien bashers may hate to hear it, the Bruins aren't Stanley Cup Champions right now without Julien. While he was unable to get the power play solved, he pulled all the other right strings tactically in the playoffs, putting Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg together for Game 3 against Montreal, settling the team with a huge timeout in Game 4 of that series and inserting Shawn Thornton back into the lineup for a key spark in the Stanley Cup Final. More than those moves, though, was his calming presence on the team despite the obstacles they encountered along the way. His steady leadership and faith in his players was critical to overcoming the 2-0 deficits against Montreal and Vancouver. The players still believe in him and his system completely. It's time for the fans to show a little support as well, and realize they are fortunate to have one of the top coaches in the league behind their bench. And acknowledge that without him they'd be entering a fourth decade without a Cup.
5. When are the Bruins going to stop playing these goalie games and leave Tim Thomas in goal where he belongs? They are messing with his rhythm and all anyone does is make excuses for games we lose while [Tuukka] Rask is in goal. Is there a hidden agenda in this?
— Kristen, Newton, Mass.
My how things have changed in a few short weeks. Wasn't my inbox just filled with complaints about Rask not getting enough starts? There's no agenda at play here other than the need to keep Thomas somewhat fresh for the stretch run and (hopefully) playoffs. If anything, the Bruins have used Thomas more than they planned so far with him starting eight of the first 11 games. They will likely have to ride him for a while as they try to climb out of the hole they've dug with their poor start, but they'll also need to rely on Rask quite a bit too. Thomas is 37 and will need some nights off. Even last year, en route to his record-setting campaign, he played just 57 games and Rask appeared in 29. Ideally, that workload will be even more balanced this season, but the Bruins will need to play better in front of Rask. I'm not sure why exactly it continues to happen, but for the second year in a row the Bruins have struggled to give Rask much support when he's in net. They've scored just three goals in his three starts, and two of those games (against Carolina and Montreal) featured major meltdowns with a slew of undisciplined penalties preventing any chance of victory. Rask can't be blamed for that, and Thomas' rhythm shouldn't be affected by the rest he needs to stay sharp.
6. Hi Doug, Hard to believe that [Mark] Recchi, [Michael] Ryder and [Tomas] Kaberle were that much of a difference between last season and this year's team, but apparently it is. With that said, if the current streak doesn't snap soon, as far as changes go, do those specific positions get addressed, others, or the coach?
— Peter Corrado, East Haven
I don't think it's really the absence of those three players as much as the underperformance of the 20 guys back from last year that's really been the source of Boston's problems. Recchi's leadership is missed, but as discussed above, the Bruins have plenty of strong leaders still in place. Ryder was inconsistent himself in the regular season and Kaberle provided little of the offense or power-play help the Bruin sought when they acquired him. Their departures aren't the difference this season. If the Bruins do make any moves, it won't necessarily be to find replacements for those roles, but more likely it will be just an effort to shake the club out of its lethargy and add some additional offensive punch. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Bruins try to add a spark with some call-ups first before going outside the organization and giving up assets in a trade. There's not much available on the trade market at this point of the season, so it's more likely Peter Chiarelli will look at internal options first. And again, I don't see Julien as the problem and don't think his job is in jeopardy, nor should it be.
7. It seems to me like the Bruins have more sticks break than any other team, usually at the worst possible times. What is up with this? I mean they are snapping right in the center of the shaft. Do you notice this as well?
— Joe, Westfield, Mass.
I think Jack Edwards owns the copyright to any rants about composite sticks, but I echo his sentiments on those abominations. The vast majority of players prefer them because they can generate more speed on their shots and have a better feel for their passing with the lighter-weight material in the composites, but they do break much easier and often at the most inopportune times. I don't think it's affecting the Bruins more than any other team though, and they've even benefited from opponents breaking their sticks at times as well. Still, I'm a traditionalist and would prefer to see players sacrifice a couple mphs off their slap shots in favor of some good, old-fashioned lumber. Unfortunately, I think that's a battle that's already been lost and the composites are here to stay, even if many of them will be left shattered on the ice along the way.
8. Doug, What are the chances that with the Blue Jackets in turmoil and the Bruins slow start, that a trade for Rick Nash would be an option? With [Tyler] Seguin and [Patrice] Bergeron as a strong 1-2 at center, how about trying to move say, [David] Krejci, [Nathan] Horton, [Adam] McQuaid/[Steven] Kampfer and (as a last resort) [Dougie] Hamilton? Granted both Nash and [Milan] Lucic are left wings, but I drool over the idea of a Lucic, Seguin and Nash first line. We keep the second line of [Brad] Marchand, Bergy and [Rich] Peverley intact and a third line of [Chris] Kelly, [Jordan] Caron and [Benoit] Pouliot. Plus a combination of our top six D is intact. With Krejci a pending RFA and [Ryan] Spooner in the pipeline, now might be the perfect time to try and snag the sniper we've missed since we lost that Leaf that shall remain nameless.
— Joe, Portland, Oregon
Despite their struggles, I have a hard time seeing the Blue Jackets parting with Nash. He's the face of that franchise and the guy they've tried to build around. They finally got a center for him with the trade for Jeff Carter this summer and even with their horrible start, I can't see them giving up on the chance for them to try to develop some chemistry this quickly. The Blue Jackets are more likely to make changes at the top, with GM Scott Howson and coach Scott Arniel both in danger. With management on shaky footing, I don't think ownership will sign off on dealing away a guy like Nash. I'm also not sure the Bruins need to make that big a shakeup to radically overhaul a roster that just won the Cup. The Bruins could certainly use some scoring help, but I don't know that the Bruins should be ready to give up that many assets to do it at this point. The Bruins didn't have that elite sniper last year either, and still managed to do OK, and a heck of a lot better than they ever did with that nameless Leaf in their lineup.
9. Out of the players who visited Children's Hospital in Boston last week, whose costume did you like best? I'm for Chara's!
— via Twitter @ bruinsgirl33 (Sara T.)
Hard to argue with a nearly 7-foot pink bunny, even if at least one of the kids thought Chara was actually an alien (no confirmation on whether that was referring to the costume or Chara himself). Plus, I've already upset Brad Marchand for failing to recognize that it was a Prince Charming costume he was wearing (he was indignant that I thought it was a Nutcracker-like toy soldier). Then again, having seen Marchand's "fights" with P.K. Subban last week, I'm willing to risk his wrath and give credit to Jordan Caron's Crayon costume. What can I say? The writer in me loves a little alliteration.
Leave your questions for Douglas Flynn's mailbag in the comments section below, send them to him via Twitter at @douglasflynn or send them here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week. Be sure to check back to see if your question was answered.
