Neely: 'Expectations Will Be Higher'

BOSTON - During his decade-plus tenure in the Bruins front office, Cam Neely has run the gamut of offseason emotions.
Some offseasons are tinged with regret that lingers through the fall, while others offer hope and enthusiasm for what is to come.

The Hall of Fame winger knows the feelings that come with a summer full of Stanley Cup bliss (i.e. 2011), as well as the pain of losing on the game's grandest stage (i.e. 2013).
In the end, no hockey summer is the same.
But the 2017-18 season has left Neely feeling as optimistic as ever. Despite a disappointing finish to a surprising run that many believed could result in another Stanley Cup, Boston's president views his team's 50-win campaign and subsequent second-round exit as just the beginning of something special.
"There's a lot of excitement that's coming off of this year," Neely said during a season-ending press conference with Bruins chairman Jeremy Jacobs and CEO Charlie Jacobs on Wednesday morning at TD Garden.
"A little disappointment from the way it ended, but I think the future is bright. But we can't feel like with the year that we had we can just coast. It's gonna be a challenge and we want to get better."

To many, the Bruins' surge toward the top of the NHL standings came a bit earlier than expected. With Boston's brass integrating a handful of rookies, highlighted by defense cornerstone Charlie McAvoy, into the lineup, it was expected to take a year or two - or more - for the team to develop into a legitimate contender.
But those expectations changed quickly during the Bruins' torrid winter stretch, which propelled them to 112 points, just one behind Tampa Bay for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
"When we made the move and hired Don [Sweeney as GM], it was important for me to see how we could take advantage of the guys that had won that were still playing for us here and build around those players," said Neely. "I knew it was going to take a lot of work. You have to be right on the younger players and I think the scouts did a good job. I think they developed well and Don did a good job with the communication piece.
"I think it's important from the coach and the GM, and from myself and Don, of what we're trying to accomplish here."
Ultimately, the mix between Boston's youth and its championship-winning core blended splendidly and it's a combination the organization hopes it can rely on moving forward.
"I'm very happy with the 50-win season," said Charlie Jacobs. "We look at October and how we started our year - didn't look all that bright. Things turned quickly for us in November, fantastic December and into the New Year. I credit the blend that we have, the young players that stepped up - a number of kids that really participated and contributed to our win-loss total."

The likes of McAvoy, Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Matt Grzelcyk, Sean Kuraly, and Ryan Donato clearly brought new energy and jump to the Bruins' lineup, while also providing roster versatility, both crucial aspects to competing in the new age of the NHL.
"Of my 43 years, there's only one that I was really happy with, and that was in '11," said Jeremy Jacobs. "So hope springs eternal, obviously. I think the building from within and the speed that we're seeing - the game has changed. And I think this next generation bodes well for us.
"Butch and Don and Cam have recognized this next generation, and I think we profited from it this year, and I think we should improve on it next year."
Neely credited Cassidy and his staff, in particular, with being open to teaching and developing the young players, while also turning the team into one of the top club's in the league.
"We thought we were a little ahead of where we thought we might be based on how the season went and finishing with 112 points," said Neely. "Again, credit to the players that already were here. Credit to the coaching staff. Right from Day 1, they knew that we were going to try and implement some younger players, and there's some learning curves along with that.
"But you have to be willing and ready to coach and teach, and I think that's what our coaching staff did. They did a lot of teaching this year, and I think it showed up game after game."

But the emergence of Boston's youth movement doesn't mean there isn't still work to be done during the offseason. Neely pointed to backup goaltending - Anton Khudobin is an unrestricted free agent - and the defense corps as areas that need to be addressed.
"I think right now we have to figure out what we're doing on the backup goaltender. That's an important piece. If we're going to have that goalie expect to play 25 games, you're gonna want a goalie that's going to give you some really good starts," said Neely, who praised the performance Khudobin put forth this season.
"On the back end, you see what happens in the playoffs, everything gets ramped up, the physicality. Even though it's not quite where it used to be, but it does get ramped up in the playoffs. In an ideal world, if you can find a guy that can skate and retrieve pucks on the back end, that's what you'd love to have."
It was, no doubt, a successful campaign for the Black & Gold - one that has left everyone in the organization feeling good about the direction in which it's headed. So as the work towards building the 2018-19 version of the Boston Bruins begins, it's being done with a tad loftier outlook.
"Coming off the season we had, we know the expectations are higher next year," said Neely. "It's not an easy league. You saw the teams that made the playoffs, how many points they got this year. If we can improve our club now, we'd like to do that."