The Boston Bruins’ season came to a premature end last week when a three-game losing streak officially knocked the team out of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2006-07.
The team didn’t wait long to start making moves, announcing Wednesday it had relieved general manager Peter Chiarelli of his duties. Shortly after the initial announcement, the team also announced it had fired three of its scouts.
As the dust settles on this shakeup, some Bruins faithful are left wondering: Was firing Chiarelli the right decision?
On one hand, Chiarelli helped the B’s win a Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years in 2011. The GM was responsible for nearly all of that roster, including several key 2011 deadline day moves (Chris Kelly, Rich Peverly, Tomas Kaberle) that were, at the time, viewed as trades that put the Bruins over the hump.
But since that Stanley Cup victory, Chiarelli has shown what some feel is too much loyalty to the older members of the club, as well as an inability to properly manipulate the cap. Indeed, the salary cap was Chiarelli’s most frequent excuse in his final season with Boston, but that was his own doing through overpayment of players (Kelly and Reilly Smith come to mind) and handing out richer contracts to younger players too early (Smith and former Bruin Tyler Seguin are good examples).
Chiarelli also has made some controversial trades. Sure, the Phil Kessel trade worked out, as the Bruins drafted Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton with two of the three picks they received. But the Bruins then traded Seguin three years later for a selection of players that many fans feel have underperformed, or at least collectively did not equal Seguin’s value.
But still, the fact remains that Chiarelli largely is responsible for bringing the Cup back to Boston. Should the Bruins have relayed the same loyalty to PC that he showed to so many of his players?
Thumbnail image via Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports Images
