Neely: Bruins Looking To Add Size, Be More Physical
BOSTON (CBS) - Boston Bruins president Cam Neely joined 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger & Massarotti show Thursday afternoon for his weekly appearance.
The B's are just 1-4 in their last five games, and their 14-11-1 record is good for the last spot in the playoffs if the postseason were to start today.
One topic that's been discussed on Felger & Mazz recently is the identity of this Bruins team, and what exactly that identity is.
Cam Neely acknowledged this year's team is not like the the Bruins of old, specifically when it comes to being physical.
"We've recognized that we're not playing a brand of hockey that I think is going to be successful for us," Neely said after a long pause when the question of identity was brought up. "I do have to say though that I'm pleased with the work ethic and the compete level, but there's areas of our game that need improvement. We recognize that."
There's wanting to be more physical, and the capability to be more physical. Michael Felger was curious to hear Neely's thoughts if the Bruins even have the roster to start throwing more bodies around.
"Physical, in a big bruising way? No. Obviously with [Zdeno] Chara and [Adam] McQuaid out those are big physical players. Can we improve on that aspect? Probably. We've seen the success as an organization the last few years and we're a little bit more physical than we currently are," said Neely.
"Our current players have to be better, and when we get our unhealthy bodies back in the lineup I still want to see how the team looks in that regard."
The Bruins have yet to have a healthy lineup all season -- that's not excuse making, it's simply the reality.
The need for improving (and getting back to health) obviously has to come internally, but Neely also suggested that improvements could come from outside the organization.
"I think there's areas we're looking to add some size, and it's not just size; you have to be able to play. I'd like to see us get a little bit more physical," said Neely. "I feel like we can improve in all areas of our game. We're not scoring goals right now, and we're not playing as physical like we need to with some of the other elite teams in the league."
2014 first round draft pick David Pastrnak has impressed so far in his brief time up in the NHL after being called up from Providence.
Neely spoke about the Swede with Felger & Mazz.
"We're certainly evaluating his play at the NHL level," Neely said of Pastrnak. "The puck seems to follow him. He's not afraid to put the puck on net. But you have to remember he's an 18-year-old getting used to the North American style game, and the size and the speed of the NHL players. It's a small sample size right now. We're looking to see how he can fare in this league."
Another Swede discussed on Thursday was Loui Eriksson who, unlike Pastrnak, has been less-than-impressive in his second season wearing the Black and Gold.
"We need more from Loui. He's a smart player, he plays smart defensively. But we could use some more of him offensively," said Neely.
"I'd like to see him put more pucks on the net; more pucks on the net gives you more opportunities to put it in the net. You're not going to get a lot of pretty goals in this league. There's going to be some dirty goals, and you've got to pay the price sometimes to score."
Neely also gave an injury update on David Krejci and Zdeno Chara.
Listen below!
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