Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney confirmed to reporters Friday at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo that head coach Claude Julien and his assistants will return for the 2015-16 season.
This is the correct call by Sweeney.
Julien is one of the five best coaches in the NHL and highly respected around the league. He’s second on the Bruins’ all-time coaching wins list and has two Stanley Cup Final appearances and one championship on his résumé with Boston.
In his eight seasons behind the bench, the B’s have missed the playoffs just once. That was the this past season, when Boston finished just outside a wild card spot with 96 points, the most ever by a non-playoff team. Coaching was not one of the primary reasons the Bruins missed the playoffs in 2014-15.
Julien also is the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL after Mike Babcock left the Detroit Red Wings to join the Toronto Maple Leafs last month.
Thumbnail photo via Christopher Hanewinckel/USA TODAY Sports Images
