Cam Neely didn’t mince words earlier this month when asked to assess the state of a middling Bruins roster.
“I think right now, we’ve got to look at two paths — one that we’re buying and one that we may be just retooling a little bit,” Neely said at the Boston Bruins Foundation’s gala on Jan. 15. “We still feel like we’ve got a playoff team here, and we certainly don’t want to jeopardize getting out of the playoffs because we’ve made some moves that may be good for the future, but not good for the present.”
Since that shot across the bow, the Bruins have done little to inspire confidence that a late-season surge into the postseason is in the cards.
After Neely’s comments, the Bruins are 3-3-1 — dropping back-to-back games against the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets this week by a combined score of 13-4.
Thursday’s lopsided 6-2 loss to Winnipeg at TD Garden marks the 13th time in 53 games that Boston has lost by three or more goals.
In a game where Boston clawed back to tie things up at 2-2 in the third period, the Bruins completely unraveled in short order — with Winnipeg scoring a pair of goals less than two minutes after Elias Lindholm’s equalizer.
Boston’s inability to sustain any semblance of momentum has routinely doomed them time and time again, with Joe Sacco’s team now coughing up seven goals this month within two minutes of scoring their own goal.
Speaking after Thursday’s latest setback, Marchand was asked about Neely’s comments — and the clear ramifications that await this roster if it continues to slide down the standings.
“I mean, the only thing we can do is focus day to day,” Marchand said. “I mean, they’re going to do what they feel is necessary for the team. And all we can do is worry about about our play and what we can control.
“We can’t control any decision that is going to be made. We have to come and do a job here every day and that’s all we can worry about right now.”
A Bruins team severely lacking in young talent and draft capital could embrace a retool in the coming months — selling off pending free agents like Trent Frederic or other lineup regulars like Charlie Coyle and/or Brandon Carlo in search of future assets.