Plus/Minus: Boston Bruins Predictions for the 2015-2016 Season
By Matt DeCoste
Mar 19, 2015; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins center Chris Kelly (23) skates in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
Minuses
Chris Kelly– Where do I start? He is overpaid, under-performing and will most likely be a healthy scratch the majority of the time this season. I love what he brought to the table during the Stanley Cup run, but with leg injuries and age slowing him down, he isn’t as effective as he once was.
He is still a quality penalty killer and a decent face-off man, but those intangibles aren’t worth his current cap hit. He will either be traded to a contender needing a veteran voice in the locker room, or sitting high above the ice surface watching most of the games this season.
Dec 17, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien during the second period against Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Bruins defeated the Bruins 3-2 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Claude Julien- The decision to bring Claude Julien back after last season never made any sense to me. He is a great coach and his time behind the Bruins bench will forever be remembered by the Stanley Cup trophy he won with the team in 2011.
However, the reason why I have him on this list is because he has coached a long time with his defensive system, and now he is being asked to change the way he coaches by implementing a quicker, more offensive style of play. His old system worked and he may be able to change his system in the short-term, but eventually people tend to return to what makes them feel comfortable.
I think this is the last season for Claude behind the bench, and if the team starts off with a poor record, he may not even make it through the entire season.
Sep 30, 2015; New York, NY, USA; Boston Bruins goalie Jonas Gustavsson (89) during the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Jonas Gustavsson– Signed to professional tryout (PTO) this off season, Gustavsson ended up beating Jeremy Smith for the backup job after fierce competition during the preseason. Referred to as “The Monster” or “Tha Monstah” now that he is in Boston, has never topped .911 save percentage in his career and has had trouble staying healthy in two out of the last three seasons.
The Bruins went for NHL experience instead of a young, upcoming goalie prospect and I don’t blame them for doing so after what they went through last season with Niklas Svedberg, however, the Bruins will find out they made the wrong decision.
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