Bruins eliminated from the 2016-2017 NHL Playoffs.

And with the firing of the head coach, as with all frustrating, disappointing seasons coming to an end, the Boston Bruins have missed the NHL Playoffs for the 3rd consecutive time.

It’s hard to be surprised. A shooting-% problem plagued the entire team in spite of being the best possession team in hockey, and the backup goaltending situation that couldn’t stop a beach ball, it meant making the Bruins starting goaltender play far more games than was safe or necessary, leading to injury and even when he tried to pull a courageous comeback, it wasn’t enough. The team tried their hardest, but with a team that no longer had the 1-2 punch in scoring lines and general inconsistency on defense, it just became too much to bear.

Combined this with a Firing that just crushed team morale and left a sour taste in fan’s mouths? There wasn’t much hope for the final half of the season, but they kept fighting valiantly regardless.

Now, all eyes are on the GM and President as they sift through the ashes of a fire they totally didn’t start they were just leaning on the stove (they swear) and how they handle the draft for the 3rd consecutive year in a middle of the pack scenario.

Yeah, I wish they could’ve sold some pieces off too, but the reality of having 20ish percent of your total contracts wrapped up in two offensive centers until at least 2019 is rough, and so they just had to keep playing as hard as they could and see what they could get whatever draft position out of it.

And the positives are there, don’t get me wrong.

• David Pastrnak is a luminary player that will make being a Boston Bruins fan very fun for the next couple of years and then even longer when they’re able to get him out from under that bridge deal he’ll be signing.
• Colin Miller was a fantastic player that I’m sure will do great, if not here due to cap concerns, then in Vegas, where Claude Julien is still putting together a strong first effort team.
• Brad Marchand; Points getter
• Patrice Bergeron: Penalty Killer extraordinaire.
• Torey Krug’s fantastic saves
• The 3 minutes of fame every game night was adorable and I wish those youths a positive experience with hockey going forward

And so many more.

And as with all seasons coming to a close, we’ll begin our grading process, our draft profiles, and hopefully move on from this abysmal season. But right here? here is where we greive what could’ve been.

Thanks for reading and Go Bruins.