NHL Notebook: Concerns for the future and other takeaways from Bruins fans in 2022 New England Sports Survey

In what has become an annual tradition at this point when it comes to capturing the current zeitgeist within Boston’s sporting sphere, Sudbury-based Channel Media & Market Research released its latest New England Sports Survey this week — with the latest report gauging the opinions of 16,103 fans from across the region on various topics related to their favorite sports teams, media personalities and a whole lot more.

In most years, there is usually little in terms of shocking revelations within the market. As expected, the Patriots are still king in the area (50% of survey participants ranked them as their favorite team), Bill Belichick is still the most admired coach (51% of the vote) and the Celtics — fresh off of getting to the NBA Finals — were tabbed as the team with the best chance of winning a title in the near future (46%). 

But beyond some of these expected confirmations when it comes to the sphere of influence that the Pats have on the area — or the positive returns in wake of the Celtics’ latest run – there’s a lot to glean from the various questions posed in regards to the Bruins.

Because even though the B’s are set on trying to pry its contention window open just a bit longer in 2022-23, it’s clear that some fans are a bit more skeptical when it comes to both the short-term and long-term outlook of this Original Six franchise.

Let’s parse through some of the more interesting questions put forth in this report regarding the Bruins, discuss the results — and delve into just how merited some of these voting results are. 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM?

Not exactly a revelation here, with the Bruins ranked fourth among the five teams in the area with 11 percent of the vote. That does represent a five-percent drop from the previous year, although, given the Celtics’ run to the NBA Finals (they leapfrogged the B's in the vote this year), it does make sense that the Bruins fall down in the pecking order a bit here. 

Ultimately, the Patriots once again have a stranglehold on the region, while the Red Sox — even with their extremely disappointing 2022 season — still have a passionate fan base and deep roots within the market.

In what should continue to be the case moving forward (baring the Sox completely bottoming out for 4-5 years), it’s going to be the C’s and B’s jockeying for that third-place spot most years — and a lot of it will likely depend on postseason success in the short-term window. 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING TEAMS' OWNERSHIP DO YOU BELIEVE HAS DONE THE BEST JOB WITH THEIR TEAM OVER THE PAST YEAR?

Another drop off for the B’s when compared to 2021, with the Bruins going from 22 percent of the vote last year to just 12 percent of the vote in 2022. Granted, given all of the fallout over the past few months — be it Boston’s disappointing first-round exit, the tangible fear of a Patrice Bergeron retirement and Bruce Cassidy’s firing — it does make plenty of sense as to why the sentiment on ownership took a dive.

And frankly, it could continue to slide in the coming years once this current contention window does close. As such, it didn’t come as much of a surprise when Charlie Jacobs pushed back on the notion that a full-blown rebuild was the inevitable next step for the franchise. 

“There’s been a lot of theatre around this National Hockey League this past week, in particular at the Draft. We saw some teams, what I would call it – sellers – and I think that would be awfully difficult to sell in this market to our fanbase. I do foresee, I don’t have a crystal ball, but there are going to be days, let’s be candid, there are going to be days when we don’t have the opportunity to talk about Patrice Bergeron coming back to be our Captain and our number one center. 

“And those are things that we need to address every summer, and whether it’s through the Draft, Cam and Donny have mentioned this already but we’re a cap team – meaning that we’re going to spend to the max to deliver the best product we possibly can to our fans and that is not going to change. In that regard I would hope that people could put that in their back pocket and understand that we are committed to winning a Stanley Cup and we will do whatever it takes to get us to that threshold again.”   

I will say, however, that the Bruins were bailed out in that even with just 12 percent of the vote, they still finished in third place — due in large part to the Red Sox CRATERING down to four percent this season. 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING TEAMS' LEADERSHIP DO YOU BELIEVE HAS DONE THE BEST JOB OVER/DURING THEIR MOST RECENT SEASON?

After actually supplanting Belichick and ranking first among all Boston-based executives this past season (30 percent of the vote), Cam Neely dropped down to third overall in terms of leadership performance — with Brad Stevens (fresh off of helping tweak a roster that made it to the NBA Finals) taking the top spot with 38 percent of the vote. 

Neely’s drop isn’t necessarily a surprise after the way that the Bruins’ season ended, although it was also a byproduct of the C’s leadership group spiking — with the Celtics undergoing a 30-percent jump in approval once Stevens took over the helm. 

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING COACHES/MANAGERS DO YOU ADMIRE THE MOST FOR THE WAY THEY COACH/MANAGE (AND/OR COACHED/MANAGED) THEIR TEAM?

I was a bit surprised by this one, although the Boston sports market is also buoyed by having a pretty stacked cast when it comes to coaches with some championship pedigree.

For all of the criticism regarding Belichick and his approach this season when it comes to delegating duties to his coaching staff this preseason, the Patriots coach remains unchallenged in this annual vote with 51 percent of the vote, while Ime Udoka, unsurprisingly, placed second after a very successful first foray with the C’s.

Perhaps Cassidy is just the odd man out when it comes to the tough competition against him in this vote, but to see him drop from 20 percent to eight percent for the 2021-22 campaign is a bit perplexing. Sure, the B’s came up short against Carolina back in May, but I also thought this was one of Cassidy’s better seasons behind the B’s bench when it came to his decision to break up the 63-37-88 line in search of more secondary scoring.

Clearly, the B’s top brass disagreed with such sentiment. 

 IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS, WHICH TEAM HAS DONE THE BEST JOB MAKING THEIR TEAM BETTER?

After adding Malcolm Brogdon and Danilo Gallinari (well, before his knee injury) to a roster that fell just two wins short of a title, the Celtics were the easy pick for this query (45 percent). 

However, after a rather underwhelming offseason, it’s still pretty surprising that the Patriots remain in second place with 34 percent of the vote — with the Bruins (11 percent), Red Sox (six percent) and the Revolution (four percent) rounding out the list.

With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci back for another season, it shouldn’t necessarily come as a shock that fans believe that the Bruins have (at least in the short term) improved their roster. Still, given the question marks that still linger when it comes to how this franchise can continue to build a sustainable winner once both Bergeron/Krejci hang up their skates, it makes plenty of sense as to why the B’s aren’t any closer to the Celtics and Patriots in this vote.

CHANGE IN THE PAST YEAR / IN THE PAST YEAR, DO YOU BELIEVE THE [INSERT TEAM] 

Yes, the Bruins might be slightly better this upcoming season now that Krejci is back in the fold, but it’s clear from this vote that most B’s fans believe that their favorite team is either treading water — or facing a steep decline in the years ahead.

Frankly, given that this market is not exactly known for its optimism, I was a bit startled that 20 percent of the fan vote tabbed the Bruins as “changing for the better” — although that might be influenced by this upcoming season, which sure feels like “The Last Dance” with this core in place.

Still, with 80 percent of the vote listing Boston as either “pretty much stayed the same” or “changing for the worse”, it’s clear that even the positive returns that could be drawn from the 2022-23 season might be muted a bit — given the uncertainty surrounding this roster in 2024 and beyond. 

Until the B’s secure a top-six center for the future — or see more of their prospects break through and thrive at the NHL level — perhaps the best way to sum up fan sentiment surrounding the Bruins is “pending pessimism”. 

IF YOU COULD ONLY SELECT ONE, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING TEAMS DO YOU BELIEVE HAS THE BEST CHANCE OF WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP THE SOONEST?

Well, with the Red Sox current 7.5 games out of a wild-card spot, that zero percent is rather justified.

Still, I’m a bit surprised that the Bruins once again rank so low when it comes to fan belief of championship potential. 

Perhaps I’m looking at this roster through some rose-colored glasses, and we discussed this in our latest Poke The Bear podcast, but the 2022-23 Bruins should still be … a pretty good team.

Now, are they on the same tier as, say, the Avalanche? Nope. But the Bruins should be slightly improved with Krejci giving Boston a legitimate double-headed monster in the top-six unit — and if Boston can stay afloat in the early going when both Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy are on the mend, they can be a tough out this postseason.

At the very least, the Bruins should be in the mix when it comes to contenders in the Eastern Conference — and frankly, “being in the mix” is all you need in a sport like hockey. Now, ask me about the Bruins’ title hopes in, say, 2026? Well, then it’d be pretty ugly. But in the vacuum of just this year, I think the Bruins are much better position than the Patriots when it comes to championship hopes. 

IN YOUR OPINION WHAT WAS THE BEST/WORST THING THAT HAPPENED IN BOSTON/NEW ENGLAND SPORTS IN THE PAST YEAR?

Well, the Bruins may be fourth in terms of popularity within this market, but it’s clear that Boston still can’t get enough when playoff hockey finally arrives at TD Garden. The Bruins may not get the day-to-day viewership that the Patriots might harness, but it’s easy for even casual fans to get hooked when the Stanley Cup is up for grabs and "Cochise" begins blaring on the Garden speakers once again.

Also, Bergeron’s return being celebrated comes as no surprise — due in large part to the fact that Boston’s hopes of contention would have been completely snuffed out had its captain not returned for his 19th season in a black-and-gold sweater.

On the opposite side of that same coin, the excitement that comes with another gauntlet through the Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket also yields high expectations — and given the B’s strong finish to the season (coupled with the tangible fear that Bergeron was set to retire this summer), the B’s season ending in the first round down in Raleigh stood as an ugly gut punch for this market. 

Have to say, I really thought Cassidy’s canning was going to be a bit higher on this list — given both the immediate fan reaction to his firing, and the fact that a lot of the finger-pointing in regards to Boston’s recent failings has been fixated on the team’s management staff.

Also “Chaim Bloom’s approach to running a team/ Red Sox being reduced to a spreadsheet/computer program” is an absurdly specific, and hilarious, designation for this trainwreck of a Red Sox season. 

HOW WOULD YOU RATE EACH OF THE FOLLOWING BY THE BOSTON BRUINS?

Again, no surprise here that both Bergeron and Krejci’s return paced the pack when it came to positive development for the Bruins — not just because of the nostalgia associated with both veteran pivots, but because it guarantees that Boston is vying for at least one more run with his core. 

At this point, it seems as though the B’s hiring of Jim Montgomery has a receptive — if not lukewarm — reaction from fans, although some of that be a byproduct of the sour sentiment from Cassidy’s firing. 

HOW MUCH DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS ABOUT THE BOSTON BRUINS?

Perhaps I just spend far too much time on Twitter (a scenario that is hazardous to anyone’s wellbeing), but I’m a bit surprised that fan reaction to Boston’s front-office staff was not very extreme — at least when it comes to disapproval. 

Now, I do think that Sweeney and Co. also have plenty of positive developments to hang their hat on (acquiring key cogs like Lindholm, Hall, Coyle, etc. / retaining stars at way below market rate). But given Boston’s inability to draft and develop talent, and just how soon some of those consequences will begin to manifest with the product on the ice, I did think there would be a lot more criticism doled out in this vote. 

WHICH PLAYER ON THE BOSTON BRUINS DO YOU MOST ADMIRE FOR WHAT THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR TEAM?

Well, this might be the least-shocking vote of all. No surprise that Bergeron remains beloved in this market, and his impressive 2021-22 season (arguably one of the best defensive seasons by a forward in years) at his age only further boosted Bergeron’s standing among fans who have had the privilege of watching him play for close to two decades.

WHICH PLAYER ON THE BOSTON BRUINS (FOR WHATEVER REASON) DOES NOT/DID NOT MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

Some things never change. 

Yes, it was an unfortunate end for Tuukka Rask and his goal of returning from major hip surgery. But given that a very vocal grouping of Bruins fans were vouching for the B’s to just roll with Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark anyway, not sure how Rask (he who started a whopping four games this season) was the overwhelming favorite here.

For me, I’d tab Nick Foligno (especially with that $3.8 million cap hit) as the player that did not meet expectations, although Brandon Carlo (14 percent of the vote) also did warrant some deserved criticism after a pretty underwhelming 2021-22 season.

Also, given all that both he and his girlfriend went through over the past year, I’m not going to tab a player like Pastrnak in any category when it comes to not meeting expectations last season — especially in an 72-game slate where he still managed to score 40 goals.

WHAT ONE PLAYER WOULD YOU LIKE THE BOSTON BRUINS TO ACQUIRE THE MOST?

Breaking News: Bruins fans would be jazzed up if their favorite team acquired the reigning Hart Trophy winner. 

(Also, the winner should be Connor McDavid - or maaaaaybe Cale Makar - and it shouldn’t be close.)

IN YOUR OPINION WHAT COULD THE BOSTON BRUINS DO TO IMPROVE THEIR TEAM?

Drafting. Drafting. Drafting.

If there was ever a need for this Bruins team, both in the short and ESPECIALLY in the long term, it’s for this team to start hitting on its draft picks and for younger, cost-controlled prospects to supplement this veteran core.

The top improvement being two good goalies — on a roster that has a very talented young netminder and a proven veteran in place — is a bit of a head-scratcher, while the need for more secondary scoring (a roster flaw that has doomed this team time and time again during the postseason) should warrant a higher vote here.